Thunderbolts
by Sailor Orion
Summary: by Sailor Orion. Romance dealing with the senshi and the generals, mainly Jupitor and Nephrite. PG for suggested sexual relations.


Thunderbolts by Sailor Orion

(Ending coming soon! And it will most likely be written by Amber Sunstorm)

The thunder rumbled, and Jupiter shivered. She hugged herself as a downpour started to drench her body. She couldn't think anymore. There must be something wrong with me, she thought. She hasn't been able to hold a steady boyfriend for a long time, and now it started to bother her.

She remembered the boyfriend that had dumped her about a month ago. He had said that she was too athletic to be a princess. And the last boyfriend who dumped her had said that it wasn't her, but him.

Jupiter wished that some guy would love her, and stay with her through good and bad. She was now at the point where she would take anyone who thought she was the least bit interesting. She didn't even care if the guy was good looking or not.

"Hey Jupiter." A sad voice said. Jupiter could recognize that voice anywhere; Mercury. Mercury has been able to get a lot of guys, but she never wanted any of them. Now, something was wrong, and she wanted on but couldn't get one.

"Hey Mercury. How are you doing?"

"Terrible. You?"

"Same. I just got dumped for the fifth time this month."

"Well, be happy that you could get a guy to be with you." Mercury stood in her Senshi uniform, getting wet from the downpour. Her hair was stringy and hanging in front of her sapphire eyes. She was hugging her arms around herself, and she was shivering. "The Prince from the Earth and his guards are coming in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I heard that they were coming to the moon kingdom, I just wasn't sure when." Jupiter's voice sounded depressed. She hated entertaining guests from a different planet, especially now. She didn't want to try and be a happy hostess when all she could think about is not having someone to hold her when she was upset.

"We should go in, Jupiter. We are likely to catch cold out here soaking wet. But there is something strange. Catching cold seems to be the last of my worries right now." Mercury had tears glistening in her eyes, and Jupiter could tell that she was crying.

"Don't cry, Mercury. We'll find someone, I'm sure."

"The Sailor Senshi of the Moon shouldn't be out in the cold rain. It could give them a cold." A deep, male voice said.

"Yes, and that would make the Princess very unhappy because she speaks of nothing but you." A lighter male voice said. Both Jupiter and Mercury looked surprised, and slightly embarrassed. Two umbrellas went up over their heads.

Jupiter looked into two dark, extremely beautiful eyes. His hair was long, and same color as his eyes.

"Um, thank you, sir." Jupiter said, her voice wavering slightly.

"Nephrite, Sailor Jupiter. I am second in charge in Prince Endymion's royal guard."

"Oh. It is a pleasure to meet you, General Nephrite." Jupiter said, instantly falling in love with him.

"Please, just call me Nephrite." His voice had laughter in it, and Jupiter smiled. "Now, would you like to come in and warm yourself up, or would you prefer to catch your death out here?" He smiled.

"I think we had better go inside." He held out his arm, and Jupiter placed her hand on his elbow. "Besides, it looks like your friend and my friend already decided to go in without us." Jupiter looked ahead and watched as the other General opened the palace door for Mercury.

"I'm surprised. Zoicite never really likes doing any of this stuff."

"Zoicite?"

"My friend, and the fourth in charge."

"Oh. Why does he not like to do any of this? Is he one of those quiet types?"

"Yes, he is. He prefers a book to a party, and doing his crystal studies rather than trying to work on his fighting skills."

"That sounds a lot like Mercury, the Sailor who General Zoicite just escorted inside." A smile played at Jupiter's lips.

"Really? There is actually a Sailor Senshi who likes to do the same thing he does. That is amazing. And here he thought that he would find no one to talk to while he was here." They reached the door, and he opened it for her. "And what are your interests?" Jupiter thought for a moment.

"I love to cook and I like to practice my fighting skills."

"You like to cook?!"

"Yes. Dealing with food is what I love to do in my spare time. I find that the kitchen is the most relaxing place in any house or palace."

"I'm so glad that you like to cook, Jupiter. It seems that we already have something in common."

"You like to cook, too?"

"I love to cook. I think food is the best way to anybody's heart."

"I wish I could think of it like that." Jupiter's voice suddenly became sad.

"Why do you say that?"

"Nevermind." Jupiter shook her head, and put a smile on her face. "So, where is your prince? I'm sure I would like to meet him, too."

"He is probably with Queen Serenity and the princess. I'm sure you will meet him soon."

"Is there any other Generals that are here?"

"Yes. There is Kunzite, the leader. There is me, the second in command. There is Jedite, the third in command. And there is Zoicite, fourth in command."

"So there are four of you, and then there is the prince."

"Yes. And how many Senshi are there?"

"There is Venus, the leader. There is Mars, there is me, and there is Mercury."

"Is that in order of command?"

"I guess. I'm not sure though. I know that if Venus was to get hurt, Mars would be in charge. So, yes. I guess it would be in order of command."

"Mercury wouldn't be before you?"

"Mercury would rather work on her computer and find the reason for the fighting. I don't think that she would fight if she didn't have to."

"Then it sounds like you could be a very busy woman if something ever went wrong."

"Yes, I would be very busy. But I hope that nothing will go wrong in the near future, so I don't have to worry."

"I hope that nothing goes wrong, either. I wouldn't want to see someone as beautiful as you get hurt by something evil." Jupiter blushed slightly. "I believe I must go. I hope to see you soon, Jupiter." His voice was low and soft. He seemed to be whispering into her hair, and she didn't want him to leave. It seemed so right that he was next to her.

"I hope to see you again soon, too, Nephrite." She made his name fall of her tongue in a way that seemed to make him shiver. She turned slightly, since he was standing behind her. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him, but she knew that it would be improper.

But Nephrite didn't think so. He brought her chin up with his fingertips and kissed her lips softly. Time seemed to stop as their lips came in contact, and Jupiter didn't want the kiss to end. She started to slide her arms up and around his chest, but he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Jupiter. I shouldn't of done that." Nephrite was blushing. "I will see you soon, then. Farewell." He disappeared before Jupiter could say anything.

Jupiter felt as if her heart had finally felt whole again when she was with him. She wanted to find him again so her heart felt full again, but she knew that if she did that it would mean that she was desperate for someone. And she didn't want to give that impression to Nephrite, the one man in the whole universe who had made her feel safe.

******

Nephrite appeared in his room, his heart going a million miles an hour. He had never felt that way when he kissed a girl. It seemed, when he was with Jupiter, as if his world melted with hers and they became one. He wanted to be with her again, to have her arms around him, and their bodies touching.

He ran a hand through his long dark hair, and tried to gather his thoughts. But his mind could only see the picture of the tall, and amazingly beautiful Sailor Jupiter. Her long, brown hair teasing him by blowing little pieces toward his face. Her emerald eyes shining in the light of the moon. And her extremely short skirt which made her legs look absolutely perfect.

He sat down on the bed, and tried to sleep, but the picture of Jupiter still was winding its way through his mind. He sat up, knowing that if he fell asleep, Jupiter would haunt his dreams, and not allow him any peace whatsoever.

He decided he would go and check on her. He made sure that she was asleep by asking the stars, and he went to her room. He cracked the door slightly, and walked in, as quiet as a mouse. He saw her sleeping figure, and he wanted to be the man who she would choose to sleep next to her.

He sat down on a chair, and watched her breath. A piece of her hair fell in front of her face, and he gently brushed it away, being careful not to wake her. Her cheeks were a rosy color, and her skin was pale. She looked like a porcelain doll, fragile and beautiful.

She stirred, and her eyes fluttered. He started to walk out, trying to hurry and be quiet at the same time.

"What are you doing in here, Nephrite?" Nephrite was scared. He didn't want to make it sound like he couldn't sleep because her picture was painted under his eyelids. But that was the truth.

"I couldn't sleep, Jupiter. So I thought I would come and see if you were awake. And I wanted to apologize for all of my actions that I did earlier today. It was rude of me to kiss you, and even more rude for me to leave you so abruptly. Please forgive me?" Jupiter seemed to think for a moment.

"Why couldn't you sleep, Nephrite?" He was hoping she wouldn't ask that question.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you." He answered, hoping she wouldn't be upset at him. He was surprised when she hugged him.

"You couldn't stop thinking about me?!" Her eyes were glittering, and he wanted to drown in them "I couldn't sleep, either. I kept seeing you every time I closed my eyes." Her voice was now a whisper, and her lips were very close to his. He gently brought his arms around her body, and kissed her softly.

She brought her arms around him, and gently placed them around his neck. She leaned into the kiss, her body pressing close to his. Their kiss seemed to last forever, but Nephrite didn't care. He loved Jupiter. He wanted to be with her forever and for a million lifetimes.

But he knew that the kiss would have to stop. He pulled away, slowly this time. She looked at him, confused.

"I must leave, but I will come to see you again, and soon. Sleep, Jupiter, and dream happily." He smiled, and she smiled back.

"You, too, Nephrite. I will be waiting for you." He walked out the door, his heart still wanting to go back to Jupiter. He headed toward his chambers, his thoughts of Jupiter still driving him mad.

******

Jupiter fell back on the bed, smiling happily. Nephrite loves me, she thought. She closed her eyes, and dreamt of Nephrite. She smiled as she dreamed, and couldn't wait until she saw him next.

She woke slowly, trying to keep the dream going. It was about Nephrite, and it was their wedding day. Her gown was simple, but elegant, and his black tuxedo made him look great. And she was just about to say 'I do' when she woke up.

She remembered last night, and sat up immediately. She grabbed her transformation pen, and called out her transformation. When she was ready, she walked out her door, and nearly bumped into Mercury.

"I'm sorry Mercury, I didn't see you." Mercury looked just as surprised as Jupiter.

"I didn't see you, either, Jupiter. Have you seen Zoicite lately?" Mercury seemed nervous.

"No, I'm sorry. I just got up."

"Me, too. He told me he would meet me this morning." Jupiter looked at Mercury.

"Mercury, were you with Zoicite all last night?!"

"Oh heaven's no! We were talking about ourselves, then he went to his room." Jupiter could tell that she wasn't saying everything.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Well, um, not all of it."

"You kissed him, didn't you?" Mercury blushed, and nodded.

"Yes, I did. I want to see him so badly! He came to my room last night, and told me that he couldn't sleep. Then he told me why. That's when everything happened." Mercury's blush had deepened to a deep scarlet.

"That's what happened with me and Nephrite last night, too." Jupiter said, feeling her cheeks flush, too.

"You and Nephrite kissed, too?!"

"Yes. He told me that we would see each other soon, and I can't wait much longer."

"Wait much longer for what?" A female voice asked. It was Mars.

"Well, did you meet the generals yet?" Mercury asked.

"Yes, I did. And I don't like them."

"How can you not like them?!" Jupiter asked, shocked.

"Because Jedite, the one I met, was rude and self-centered. He decided he would experiment with my fire, you know, the one in the grand hall, and then he didn't apologize when it suddenly went out!" Mars was flaming. "I had to call upon the great spirits of the planet Mars to restart the fire! He didn't even realize that it was a spiritual fire!" Mercury felt bad for asking the question, and hoped that Mars would feel better soon.

"Is that the beautiful Jupiter I see?" Nephrite asked, coming up from behind Mars. Mars jumped, and landed a karate kick right in his stomach. He buckled over, and fell on his knees. 

"Stay away from the senshi, General." Mars said, her eyes like purple flames.

"I don't know what I have done, Sailor Mars, but if I have caused you any wrong, I do apologize for I know not what I have done." Nephrite's voice was tinged with pain, and Jupiter kneeled next to him.

"Mars, how could you?!" Jupiter exclaimed. 

"Do what, Jupiter?" Mars was not a happy Sailor, and Mercury sensed it.

"I'm sure what Jupiter means is why did you kick General Nephrite. He has not done anything to you, I'm sure. And it was not him who put out your fire." Mars' face seemed to soften, but her eyes were still a warning.

"I'm sorry I kicked you Nephrite." Her voice was stiff with formality. "I'm still upset at what one of the other generals did to my fire. Please forgive me?" She was rigid, and she looked like a volcano which was about to blow.

"You are forgiven, Sailor Mars. And please accept my apologies on your fire. I hear that the fire from the planet Mars is a wonderful spiritual aid." Mars' eyes brightened, and the warning disappeared.

"You know of the spiritual fire?" She asked curiously.

"I do. I studied it in school, and I loved every moment of hearing about it."

"Well, I guess you're okay. Not as bad as Jedite. I am truly sorry I kicked you." Her face was filled with truth this time, and held none of the stiff formality of the first apology. "I'm afraid I must go. Perhaps we can talk later about the great fire. See ya!" Mars walked along the hall, not waiting for an answer from either the general or the two stunned scouts.

"She must be a good warrior because I've never been kicked that hard before." Nephrite said, rubbing the tender spot where Mars had kicked him. Jupiter held out her hand, helping him up.

"She is, and she also has a temper the color of that fire." Jupiter mumbled. 

"That I can believe, dear Jupiter." Nephrite said, holding Jupiter's hand.

"I hope that I can steal the beautiful Mercury from you." Zoicite asked, coming up behind Mercury. Mercury turned, her eyes glittering, and her smile brightening.

"I'm sure she would rather be with you than with us." Nephrite said, giving his friend a smile.

"Yes, please go, Mercury. I will see you later, then." Mercury and Jupiter both smiled at each other. "Have fun."

"You, too, Jupiter." They waved at each other, then Zoicite led Mercury away, his arm draped lightly around her waist.

"Those two look so cute together." Jupiter said to no one in particular.

"Yes they do. And what about us? Weren't we going to do something today?" Nephrite had a smile on his lips. Jupiter smiled back.

"I believe we were. But you were the one who was going to plan on what it was."

"Was I? Well, how about we go back to my room and see?" He smiled sweetly.

"Sounds good. Let's go." He held out his arm, and she took it, lacing her fingers through his.

He walked her down the hall, and toward his room. He opened the door for her.

"So, what did you have in mind to do today?" Jupiter asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"I'm not sure. I thought that we might talk. We could talk about anything you want." He said, his voice quiet. She sat down on the bed, and he sat next to her. He brushed a stray hair behind her ear with the tips of his fingers. "You are so beautiful." He whispered, then kissed her.

This wasn't like the kiss that happened last night, this kiss was a vow. Jupiter was the only one that Nephrite wanted, the only person in the universe who would make him happy. And Nephrite was the same for Jupiter. He was her other half, and she wouldn't be happy unless they were together.

He pulled her against him, wanting to touch her everywhere. He took her arms and wrapped them around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. One of her hands found its way behind his head, and it played with the long strands of his hair.

He groaned in his throat, wanting her terribly. She leaned back, pulling him down with her. He let his hands roam, and then there was nothing but them.

******

Nephrite woke up, and his hand brushed something warm and soft. His mind remembered what had happened, and he smiled. He remembered the way Jupiter had touched him, and knew that she loved him as much as he loved her.

Jupiter's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled.

"Good afternoon, Jupiter." 

"Good afternoon, Nephrite." Her voice was low. "Was this what you were planning on doing?"

"Nope. I was planning to maybe take a walk in a park, or go visit the queen, or something else. But I had no problem choosing this, did you?" Nephrite, although he didn't show it, was nervous at what her answer might be. But his nervousness dissolved when she smiled.

"No, not at all." She turned onto her stomach, and rested her head on a pillow. He ran his hand along her spine, making her shiver. "What would you like to do now, since our day is mostly done?"

"Maybe we should get dressed, then we can go visit the prince."

"That sounds good." Jupiter found her transformation pen, then called out her transformation. Nephrite watched as lightning-bolts surrounded her, and covered her in her uniform. When she was done, she looked just as beautiful as she did before she transformed.

He pulled on his pants, and then looked for his shirt. He saw that Jupiter was holding it, and he walked over to her. She handed it to him, and he slipped it on. But before he could start buttoning it, she was already there. Her hands quickly closing each button. 

"Thank you, Jupiter."

"You're welcome, Nephrite." Her voice was a whisper. She brushed her lips against his, making him want to undo all of the buttons she just did. He stroked her hair, then slid his hand into hers.

They walked out his door, and almost bumped into Mars.

"I'm sorry Mars, please don't kick me!" Nephrite said, hoping Mars wasn't in a nasty mood. But Mars seemed to be in a daze, and didn't notice either Jupiter or Nephrite till Nephrite said something.

"Oh, it's okay. Jupiter, I need to talk to you, alone." Jupiter looked confused.

"All right, Mars. Nephrite, I'll be right back." Mars led Jupiter to a corner.

"Jupiter! I can't believe how wrong I was about Jedite! He is magnificent, beautiful, smart, caring, and lots more!"

"You love him, don't you Mars?" Jupiter asked, knowing the answer already. Mars' eyes sparkled and her cheeks were rosy.

"We talked and did, um, other things last night. He was sorry that he put out the fire, and he didn't know it was a spiritual fire, either."

"So are you with him now?"

"Yes!"

"That's great Mars! I'm so happy for you!"

"But that's not all! I saw Kunzite, you know, the blond leader. He was acting really sweet towards Venus. I think that she likes him, and I think that he likes her but he is the quiet kind of lover."

"I hope he like Venus, especially since we all like one of the Generals."

"Not all of us like a General. The princess has found lots to talk about with the prince." 

"Well, that's good, too."

"But you don't know where, do you?" Mars was on the verge of laughing.

"No. Where do they have their conversations?"

"In his chambers!" Mars was laughing now, almost enough to be embarrassing.

"Well, I guess we know what's happening to us now." Jupiter said out loud, speaking her thoughts.

"What's happening to us?" Mars was wiping a laughter tear from the corner of her eye.

"We have actually found our soul-mates, Mars. I believe that we belong with these generals, and the princess belongs with the prince." Jupiter said matter-of-factly. Mars thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you are right. Well, I'm gonna go. I told Jedite I would meet him in the garden. See ya later!" Mars bounded off, not waiting for a reply from Jupiter. Jupiter stood there for a moment, and remembered that she had left Nephrite just standing in the hallway.

Jupiter jogged back over to him, and noticed a strange man talking to him quietly. He had dark hair, and Jupiter suspected that it was the prince, since he was the only person she had not seen yet.

"Jupiter, you're back." Nephrite said, looking back and smiling. "I don't believe you have met Endymion, the prince."

"No, I haven't." Jupiter held out her hand. "It is a pleasure, Prince Endymion."

"The pleasure is all mine. Nephrite speaks of nothing but you, and I could hardly wait until he had me meet you." Nephrite coughed, and Endymion got the hint. "I must go, I have a conference with the queen. But I hope to see you again, Jupiter. Farewell." 

"Good-bye, Prince Endymion." Endymion walked away, but he kept on looking back, as if there was something unsaid between the prince and the general. But Jupiter didn't take much notice of it.

"Come, Jupiter. I would like to tour the gardens, or the hallways, or anything. But I have something I must ask you."

"All right. Let's go to the gardens. But what is it you wanted to ask?" Nephrite started walking toward the gardens, taking her hand in his.

"I will ask when we get there. But right now, I just want to be with you." Jupiter didn't understand this sudden urge to be with her every second, and it started to bug her. 

They reached the gardens, and Nephrite led her under a large oak tree. Jupiter sat down, and leaned her back against the trunk.

"So what is it that you wanted to ask me, Nephrite?" Nephrite sat down next to her, and Jupiter snuggled closer to him.

"Do you love me, Jupiter?" This was a sudden question, and Jupiter was wondering why he asked.

"Of course I do. I've never loved any as much as I do you." Nephrite seemed to relax a little, the he slipped something on her finger.

"Then I want you to have this." Jupiter looked at her hand, and she saw the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The stone was an emerald, the same color as her eyes. "Would you marry me?" His voice was quiet, and hopeful. Jupiter looked at him, then at the ring once more. When she looked at him again, there were tears in her eyes.

"Of course I will marry you!" Jupiter hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, too, and she felt two spots on her back where two of his tears had fallen.

"I love you so much Jupiter! You wouldn't believe what I would have done if you did not say yes."

"Of course I wouldn't know because I would never say no to you, Nephrite. I love you with all of my heart." Jupiter had tears streaming down her face, and Nephrite wiped them away.

Both of them sat under that oak tree, never letting go of each other, and never moving. But then, someone startled them. They sat apart quickly, not wanting other people to know right away what has happened between the two of them.

It was the prince, and he looked distressed. 

"I'm sorry, Nephrite, but we must leave for Earth immediately. Queen Beryl is attacking it, and we need to fight." The prince had worry, fear, and pain all over his face, and Jupiter felt bad for him. But she needed to ask one thing.

"Um, Prince Endymion, who is Queen Beryl?" The prince looked confused for a moment, then knew what had happened.

"Queen Beryl is the queen of the negaverse. She wants to rule the universe, and she will stop at nothing until she has it. And the moon is the first place she wants as her own." With each word, Nephrite's face grew sadder, and when the prince was done, Nephrite looked just as bad as the prince.

"Forgive me, Jupiter. But I must leave." Nephrite motioned toward Endymion, and Endymion decided to leave the two alone. "I love you, dear Jupiter. I promise I will return." His tears were not of happiness this time, but of sadness.

"I know you will come back, my love. I will be waiting for you, always." Jupiter was also crying, and Nephrite kissed her cheek.

"Farewell, my love." Jupiter's throat was too choked up to return the good-bye, and Nephrite understood. He stood up, and slowly walked out of the garden, his head hanging low, and dread making his feet heavy.

Jupiter collapsed on the ground, sobs racking her body. She couldn't believe it! The one man that she has ever loved so much as to say yes to marriage had to leave, and probably would never return. She didn't want to live without Nephrite, the one man who made her feel like a whole person.

Footsteps made Jupiter look up, and she saw Venus. Venus had tears glittering in her eyes, but she was trying to look normal.

"Uh, Jupiter, the queen needs to talk to us." Venus's voice was quiet, and very worried.

"Does it have to do with Queen Beryl?" Jupiter said, trying to sound strong.

"You know of Queen Beryl?" Venus looked down to the ground.

"Yes, the prince told me."

"She is planning to attack the moon soon. But she would have to get through Earth first." Her voice was now sad, and she had tears rolling down her face. She fell to her knees. "What am I going to do, Jupiter?"

"What do you mean, Venus?" Jupiter got up, and went to comfort her friend.

"The queen has asked me to lead the senshi into battle if Queen Beryl ever got here. I would die knowing that she got through Earth first." Venus no longer had tears in her eyes, but she was still very upset. "Earth means a lot to me."

"I know, Venus. I know how you feel." Jupiter cradled Venus's head in her arms.

"I know that you and Nephrite care for each other, Jupiter. Probably much more than what Kunzite cares for me. But I couldn't live without him. I would die of heartbreak." Venus had fresh tears now, and they slid down her cheeks and made small spots on the ground.

"Me, too, Venus. Me too." They sat there for a few minutes, comforting each other in any way that they could. Then after a few minutes, Venus got up. 

Venus's hair was stringy and moist from the tears that had fallen from Jupiter. And Jupiter's uniform was dirty and wet as well. They both looked terrible, and they smiled weakly.

"Hey Venus, we look terrible." Jupiter said quietly.

"I know. Maybe we should make ourselves look presentable before we go to the queen."

"That sounds good." Jupiter wiped her tear-stained face, and laughed weakly.

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!" They went through their transformations, and then looked themselves over. "Now I think we look better."

"Yes, I do believe you are right." They laughed lightly, but they knew that there was no hiding it. They were going to be sad until they have seen their loves again.

******

Nephrite put on his black uniform, and brushed his long dark hair. He missed Jupiter so much. He wanted to run and protect her, to make sure that no matter what happened, she would be all right.

There was a knock at the door, and Nephrite went to answer it. It was Kunzite.

"Could I talk to you, Nephrite?" Kunzite was already decked out in his uniform, and his long blond hair brushed smooth.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" Nephrite really wasn't in the mood to talk, but he never really talked to Kunzite unless there was something wrong. So he couldn't refuse him.

"Did you see Sailor Venus while you were on the moon?" Nephrite thought for a moment, and then remembered her.

"I didn't meet her, but I have seen her. Why do you ask?"

"She is the most beautiful being to ever live in the universe. What if she gets hurt?"

"Are you telling me that you, as well as the rest of us, have fallen in love with a Sailor Senshi?"

"Yes, I have. But what Sailor have you fallen for? I haven't seen or heard anything from the others."

"I am head over heels in love with Jupiter. Jedite has found his flame in Mars, and Zoicite finally found love with Mercury."

"They are all so magnificent, Nephrite. I couldn't bear to watch them get hurt." Kunzite seemed to sadden at that last sentence. "They are so full of life, so perfect for us."

"Yes, I know. I asked Jupiter's hand before we left. Endymion had stumbled on us, and told me the bad news just after I asked." Nephrite remembered that happy face that Jupiter made when he asked her, and he would do anything to see his love once more.

"I wanted to tell Venus how much I loved her, but I was afraid that she wouldn't feel the same about me. I would have died if she had ever said that she didn't love me." Kunzite was about to fall over and cry, but he kept his frame locked. 

"Did you guys ever do anything more than just talk?" Kunzite nodded.

"Yeah, but it wasn't much. We just kissed. We never went any further than that, although I knew she wanted to."

"If you knew, why didn't you?"

"Because I was afraid to commit to her. I didn't want to go that far because I knew when I left I would leave a piece of me behind. A piece that I don't want to lose right now."

"I hate to say this, but you have already left that piece there. And she probably has it locked in her heart." Nephrite really didn't know what he was saying, but he knew that it made Kunzite feel better.

"I know. The first moment I laid eyes on her, I thought that if I couldn't have her next to me, I would go absolutely nuts."

"You should have said you loved her, Kunzite. Now she doesn't know how you feel. And trust me, I know that she loves you. Because no one loves her as much as you. And she has to love you if you love her so much."

"I hope so, Nephrite. I really hope so." Kunzite had tears glittering in his eyes. In the hallway, an alarm sounded. Kunzite and Nephrite both looked at the door. It opened quickly, revealing the prince.

"You two are needed now! Zoicite and Jedite can't hold off those warriors much longer by themselves." The prince sounded harsh, but both the generals knew that he didn't mean to be that way.

"Yes sir, we'll be there in a minute." Kunzite said, his voice full of command. The prince looked desperate.

"Please hurry. We can't let anything get to the moon. We can't!" The prince's voice was a whisper, and it sounded like he was pleading.

"Don't worry, prince. We're on our way over there." Nephrite said, looking at Kunzite. Kunzite nodded, and they ran over to where the fighting was taking place.

It wasn't that hard to find the other two generals, they were the ones that were both fighting six warriors apiece. Both generals were covered in dirt, ooze, and blood. But it was hard to tell if either of them were injured.

Both Kunzite and Nephrite threw their energy at the warriors, just trying to get them away from their friends. The other generals looked back, and nodded their heads in gratitude.

Now all of the generals were fighting, all of them hitting their targets, but getting more and more tired. Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped. The warriors all seemed to disappear in front of the generals, and a tall woman appeared. Her hair was blood red, and her eyes glowed the same color. She held a staff with a glass ball on top of it.

The generals all stood in their fighting position, not knowing who this strange lady was. But when she smiled an evil smile, they knew who she was.

"I am Queen Beryl!" She raised her arms to the sky, and thunder rumbled. "You will all join me, and be my generals!" Her voice was loud, and the generals had to cover their ears.

"In your dreams, snake!" Jedite yelled. He raised his fist to her, as if a threat.

"I see you will not come of your own free will, so I will have to take you by force." Her voice sounded normal, but then it changed back to the evil one of before. "Because nobody speaks to Queen Beryl like that!"

Four red sphere's of light came down, and enclosed each one of the generals. They tried to get out, they kicked and yelled. But there was nothing that would break these glowing balls of magic.

Just as fast as they came, the sphere's disappeared. The generals tumbled out onto the floor, each one amazed at where they were. They were on the moon. 

"I have decided that taking over your free will would take too much time and effort, so I will just make copies of you." Queen Beryl's voice was low, but it was heard by the generals. "You will learn what it is like to watch and not help." 

Each of the generals thought for a moment, trying to figure out the woman's words. But each general fell to the ground, their body shaking in pain. It felt as if someone was ripping away their skin and soul, and the generals were helpless to stop it.

When the pain finally stopped, each general looked up to see a person looking identical to them. But something seemed different about the one which was Zoicite. It seemed to be more female than male.

"You will notice that I have altered three of you slightly. Kunzite, you are now Malachite. Nephrite, you are Nephlite. Zoicite, dear Zoicite, are now female, and Jedite you remain the same." Each general looked at their copy, and saw that their uniforms weren't the usual black, either. These were gray, and rather evil looking.

"You dog. You wicked snake. You deserve to die." Whispered Jedite. 

"Aww. Poor Jedite. You have not experienced the worst of the punishment yet. Watch, and you will see." All the generals looked at each other, and wondered what Beryl was going to do. And when they looked around them, they new immediately.

A fight was going on, and the generals couldn't help. It was as if they were in a different dimension, and nobody could see them. Then, they saw their senshi. 

Each girl was wearing their uniforms of battle, and their eyes glowed with anger. They saw themselves, or their copy's walk toward the closed gate that was between them and the senshi. The generals could see the girls' eyes soften, and they walked toward the gate to open it for their loves.

All of the real generals were screaming out to their loves, trying to warn them that these were not them. They knew what Queen Beryl was doing. She was going to use their love for each other to destroy the Moon Kingdom.

When the senshi opened the gate, the false generals smiled in gratitude. Each girl ran to their lover, not knowing that these were not the real generals. Each embraced a general, and each general pulled a weapon on the girls.

The girls staggered back, each putting their hand on the wound. Nephrite tried to pound the fake general, but could only succeed in striking air. He watched as his love fell to the ground, the white of her uniform crimson with blood and little drops dripping from the emerald green skirt.

Nephrite was crying, along with all the rest of the true generals. Each of their loves had fallen to the ground, and died a heartless death. He looked once more at his love, and saw the ring he had given her, her engagement ring, on her finger, glittering next to a pool of Jupiter's blood.

Nephlite gathered all his energy, and rammed it into himself, intent on dying because he couldn't live without his love. The others seemed to do the same, each of their faces tear-stained and wet from watching each girl fall to their deaths.

Nephlite, before his last breath went, whispered "I will be with you again my love, I promise."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lita was trying to hurry to her apartment, dark rain clouds hovering in the sky. And just before she reached the road where her apartment was, it started to pour. "Oh Thunderbolts!" She said, knowing that she would now have to walk to Raye's house in the soaking rain.

"Hey Lita, wait up!" A young, female voice said. It was Mina.

"Hey Mina. Are you going to Raye's, too?"

"Yeah, but now I have to go to my place to get an umbrella. You wanna come with me?" Mina's eyes looked like they held a fun secret, and Lita wanted to know it.

"Sure, Mina. I was heading toward my place, but I guess I could go to yours."

"Good. Especially because I just got the magazine with the 50 most eligible bachelors!" Mina was bubbling with happiness, especially since she gets this magazine only once a year. And each year she writes each guy, and each guy refuses her.

"So which ones are good this year, Mina?"

"Well, there was one that I absolutely fell in love with. They call him Kenneth. He is a famous model, and he is absolutely gorgeous. Compared to him, the others are all so last year." Lita laughed.

"How about for me?"

"Well, there was this guy, Nathan, that I thought would be a good match for you. He has long dark hair that matches his eyes. He is a famous astronomer, and he loves to cook! He is a total hunk. Well, at least for you."

"Did you see anyone else? I mean, for, like, the others?" 

"Yes, actually. James, a really cute supermodel would look great besides Raye, and then I actually found one for Amy!"

"You found one for Amy?!" For the past couple months, Lita and Mina have been trying to get Amy's mind off Greg. Since Greg had called Amy and told her that he didn't love her anymore, Amy had been a very depressed girl.

"Yes. He has shoulder-length, strawberry blonde hair. He loves to work with computers, and he is very smart. His name is Vincent. For her, he would be the perfect match."

"Wow, I'm glad. But how about for Serena?"

"Well, I found one for Serena, but I'm not sure she might like him."

"What is he like?"

"His name is Bryan. He is a mathematician. He looks cute, but I don't think that Serena would like to live with someone who loves her worst subject."

"True, very true. Well, I guess we'll just have to get Darien's mind back, since I know that those two belong together."

"Yes, they do." They reached Mina's house, and they went inside. "Hang on, I'll get the umbrellas."

"All right." Lita waited there, and spotted the magazine laying on the table. She picked it up, and looked for this Nathan guy that Mina had talked about.

She flipped to the middle, and saw him immediately. He was gorgeous, just like Mina had said. His long hair was longer than the bottom of the picture, and his eyes did match the same color as his hair. Lita was so mesmerized by the picture that she didn't here Mina come up from behind her.

"I told you that you would like him. Wait till you see my guy!" Mina flipped to the next page, and right in the center was the picture of Kenneth, and he definitely was as hunky as Mina had said. His blonde hair came to his shoulders, and his eyes were the color of platinum.

"Wow, he is good-looking! How about the other two?"

"They're both back a couple of pages. Here," Mina turned back two pages, "This is Vincent, and this is James." Mina pointed to both of the pictures. She could tell which one was which immediately.

"You were right, Amy would be happy with this guy, and Raye would be even happier with this James person."

"Yeah. Come on, otherwise Raye will be blowing fire when we get there."

"All right, let's bring the magazine."

"Okay." The two left Mina's house, their umbrellas above their heads. They jogged towards the temple, and ran into Serena on the way.

"We are going to be so late! Raye is going to be so upset!" Serena whined. 

"Well, she will have to give us a break because nobody expected this storm, and we had to go get umbrellas. So she can't blame us this time." Mina said happily.

"Well, all right. But I still think that Pyro is going to have a fit." Serena replied. All three girls ran toward the temple again, this time running a little faster in order not to make Raye even more upset than normal.

When they reached the temple, Raye was standing there, tapping her foot impatiently. Amy was also coming up the stairs, which didn't make Raye any happier.

"Why are all of you late?!" Raye yelled. She was upset, and no amount of talking would calm her down.

"We had to go back and get umbrellas, Raye. We're sorry we're late." Lita said, trying to calm Raye down.

"You still could have at least been here on time! Do you know how long I've been waiting?!" She asked, her voice still fiery.

"No, how long?" Mina asked. Raye looked at her watch, and her face calmed.

"Um, about five minutes." Raye looked a little sheepish.

"Well, then. What is it that you couldn't wait five minutes for?" Amy said, her voice also a little annoyed at Raye.

"I have consulted the great fire, and it said that enemies were coming."

"Like what?" Serena asked.

"That's the problem. I'm not sure."

******

Nathan sat in a leather chair in his office, the other three generals sitting around him. "What is our new plan, generals?" he asked.

"I say we search them out. It would probably be more successful than just waiting for them to come to us." James said.

"I think we should just keep going in the direction we are going in." Vincent replied. Kenneth, however, stayed quiet.

""What is wrong, Kunzite." Nathan asked, using Kenneth's true general name.

"I feel them so close, yet so far away." he replied. "What if they don't remember us? What if we search, and we find out that Beryl did destroy them? I couldn't live without Venus."

"Same here. Mars is the only person I could ever fall in love with. Even a two-week girl couldn't make me feel happy." James said, looking back into his memories.

"I remember the first time I laid eyes on Mercury. She was like an angel from above. The way she moved, the way she talked, everything about her made me want to be with her even more." Vincent remembered.

"When Jupiter and I first met, we knew that we were going to end up together somehow." Nathan didn't want to look back anymore. All he could do was think about how Beryl had killed his Jupiter by using his love for her to her advantage.

"I believe it is time that we found our loves. I believe that we should look for them." Kenneth said quietly. All of the other generals nodded in agreement.

"First, however, can we get rid of the civilian names, at least while we're together?" James asked.

"Sounds good, Jedite. Let's do that." Zoicite said.

"Well, then, let's go." Each of the generals left the room, their transformation crystals in each of their palms.

******

Lita was walking in a park, the face of Nathan glued to the back of her eyelids. She knew she had seen that face before, but she couldn't remember where or when. She was so occupied with her thoughts that she ran into someone.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Please forgive me." Lita mumbled, not really looking at the man she bumped into. But the man noticed her.

"It's all right, ma'am. I should have been watching where I was going." The man's voice was deep, and it was full of emotion. Lita looked up to see Nathan, the man whose face has taunted her ever since she laid eyes on it.

Lita was speechless, and the man just smiled. "Are you Nathan, the one from the magazine?" Lita whispered in amazement.

"Actually, yes, I am. And you are?"

"I'm Lita." She also wanted to say that she was available, and that she would do anything to be seen with him.

"It is nice meeting you, Lita." He held out his hand, and she shook it lightly. Nephrite's hand tingled at her touch, and he wanted to embrace her right then and there. But he knew that if he did that, she might run away.

"It is nice meeting you, too, Nathan." Her hand was enclosed by his, and she didn't want him to let it go. He made her feel together, like there was nothing wrong with him touching her. It also felt as if she had been touched by him before, in a faraway time and place.

"I know we have just met, but do you think you could show me around Tokyo? I have never been here before, and I'm not quite sure where I should be going." Lita was ecstatic.

"Of course I will!" She said excitedly. Then she calmed her voice. "I mean, I would love to."

"Where do you live?" Lita told him her address. "Would it be all right with you if I picked you up tomorrow morning at, let's say, 9:30?" Lita couldn't believe her luck, and she almost didn't hear the question.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

"Yes, Lita. I will see you tomorrow." His hand still held hers, and he brought it up to his lips and kissed her knuckles lightly. Lita blushed slightly. He looked at her, and he knew that in time, she would remember.

"Goodbye, Nathan." Her voice didn't sound like her own. It sounded like she was half-asleep, and she didn't know why.

"Farewell, Lita." His voice was nothing but a whisper. He let go of her hand, and walked away slowly, afraid that if he didn't, Lita would run away. But Lita wouldn't run away. In fact, she would stay in place long enough to see his form disappear around a corner.

Lita couldn't wait to tell her friends. She started to walk toward Raye's temple, but turned around instead to go find Amy. Amy shouldn't be that hard to find. She was the only person who would go to the library on a Saturday afternoon.

But Amy wasn't there. Lita tried to ask the librarian where she was, but she was no help. Lita didn't know where else to go, so she decided that she would go find Mina.

Mina was walking along the sidewalk across from the mall. Her thoughts seemed to be far away, and she didn't realize what she was doing. She turned onto the road, a busy road. A car came around a corner.

Lita screamed Mina's name, and Mina snapped out of her daze. She looked up to see a car coming down on her. Mina screamed, and someone leapt out in front of the car, picked up Mina, and returned her to the sidewalk.

Lita ran across the street, and went to her friend's side. 

"Mina, are you all right? What were you thinking?" She asked, still in shock that her friend could have almost died. It was then that Lita noticed the man who had rescued her. It was the Kenneth from the magazine!

"I don't know what I was thinking, Lita. I was just sort of in a daze, I guess." Mina still hadn't looked up, so she probably hadn't seen the man.

"Thank you, sir, for rescuing her. I don't know how we'll ever repay you." Lita said to the man. But he didn't seem to be paying much attention because his worried eyes were locked on Mina. It was then that Mina looked up.

"Hello, sir. How can I ever thank you for saving me?" Mina asked the man. He smiled, and his eyes shone bright.

"It was nothing, really." He held out his hand to her, and she gladly took it. But as soon as she stood up, she swayed, and he caught her.

"Maybe I should just sit back down." Mina said, putting her hand on her head, and closing her eyes. She looked around for a bench, but didn't see any nearby. "Lita, do you think you could take me home?" But she barely got the question out of her mouth before strong arms lifted her up.

"Just tell me where you live, and I could take you there. I'm sure your friend probably doesn't want to have to carry you home." Mina looked at Lita, and winked.

"That's right, Mina. I was looking for Amy, but I didn't find her. So, I'm just going to go back to the library and see if I find her."

"Are you sure, Lita?" Mina asked. Lita knew it was just a courtesy question, and she knew that Mina would rather go home with Kenneth, than her. And the strange thing was that Lita didn't really care.

"Yes, I'm sure. By the way, I never got your name, sir." She already knew his name, but it was polite to ask instead of surprise him by knowing.

"My name is Kenneth. And yours is Lita, I presume."

"Correct. And I'm Mina." Mina said brightly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. Now, Mina, where do you live?" Mina told him the address, and he carried her toward her house. Lita watched, and then turned to go home.

When she reached her door, she saw that it was open, and a note was on the door.

_Dear Sailor Jupiter,_

You and the others are to come to the Tokyo Central Park, tomorrow at noon. Otherwise, you all will be destroyed.

Signed,

Q.B.

Lita didn't know what to think of the note, and she didn't know who Q.B. was. So she called the others to come over. She waited until everyone showed, then let them look at the note.

Amy was the first to pull out her pocket computer and analyze it. She tested the ink, she tested the writing, and she tested the paper it was on, and she came up with only one answer, Queen Beryl.

******

Nephrite glanced at the clock, and then turned back to his astronomy charts. He couldn't think anymore. Lita's image was right behind his eyes, waiting until he blinked to annoy him.

All of the other generals had met their loves, and knew that they still loved them. Well, all except for one. Jedite pulled a prank at the nearby temple, and the girl whose grandfather owned it, threw him off the property. It was then that he realized that it was his beloved Mars that threw him out.

"I can't believe she didn't recognize me!" He complained.

"Well, I don't think any of them recognized us, but I knew that their love for us was still there." Kunzite said.

"Yeah, I could tell that Lita still loved me." Nephrite said, speaking his mind.

"Lita?" Jedite asked.

"Yes, that's her name in this time period. Personally, I prefer Jupiter, but Lita is nice, too." Nephrite replied.

"Does anyone else know their scouts' names?" Everyone else nodded. "Am I the only one that didn't immediately fall in love with his girl?" He asked meekly. Every nodded again. "Figures. I'm always last in everything!" Jedite whined.

They all sat there again, all quiet, and all thinking of their girls. But something flew through their minds all at once that told them that their girls would soon be in danger.

They jumped up from their seats, and found their transformation crystals. They haven't transformed once since they found them seven years ago. They were afraid that if they did that, old memories of older battles would haunt them.

But as they raised their crystals and called out the transformations, they knew that it was not possible for that to ever happen. Each of them wore their traditional black uniforms of the Earth Kingdom, and each felt their old powers coming back to them.

They tuned into their senses, then found the evil presence that was passing through their minds: Queen Beryl. They had thought that she was destroyed, but they could tell that just her body was destroyed, and not her essential being. Her spirit still lingered in the open negaverse, and it was threatening to come out.

They ran out of the apartment building that was their home, and tried to find the scouts. But there was no trace of them. Then they tried searching for the civilian forms of the senshi, but they realized that they couldn't search that way since none of the generals had ever seen their senshi without being in transformation before today.

They knew where everyone lived, so they started searching for them that way. Although they knew it would take a while, they still looked all over to find them. When Nephrite went to Lita's apartment, he found all of them there. He pulled out his one communicator.

"Hey guys, I found them. They are at Lita's house right now. But it looks like they are about to leave." He said as he watched them all put on jackets and tie on scarves. "I'm going to follow them, and I'm going to find out where they are going. Try and follow my signal so you can meet me later." All of the other generals then replied with agreement, then he switched his communicator off. He didn't want it beeping, and then scaring the scouts.

They had all transformed by the time he found their location. He had only turned his head for a moment, then they had all disappeared. He searched frantically for any signal from them, then found it at Tokyo Central Park.

They stood in attack position, and watched as a misty being came crawling out of the shadows. It was Queen Beryl by the looks of it, but it could also be one of her many youmas.

When bolts of lightning shot out from two claw-like hands on the being, Nephrite knew it was a youma, because Beryl fought with energy, not lightning. He could tell that Mars was firing herself up to fight this youma, and he could also see Mercury working furiously on her computer to find the creature's weak spot.

It was then that the other generals showed up. Jedite saw Mars, and wanted to leap down to her, but Nephrite held him back.

"You idiot! Do you want her to know that we are up here watching their every move?" Nephrite scolded sharply. Jedite seemed to sadden, but still held his strong posture.

"All right, but after the fight can I go down?" Jedite seemed desperate, and Nephrite couldn't stand to see him like this. He knew that Jedite loved Mars, but not so much that he would blow their entire future with them all just to gain her love back.

"Jedite, you would ruin the entire plan if you did that." Kunzite said softly, trying to make Jedite understand. Jedite sighed, knowing that Kunzite was right.

"Fine." He bit his lower lip, trying to hold back his frustration. "I just wish I had her back, that's all." Nephrite hugged him lightly.

"We all do, Jedite. We all do." Nephrite said quietly. Jedite was the youngest one, and Nephrite knew that it must be hard on him.

"It looks like the scouts are having trouble." Zoicite said, not paying attention to the other three generals. "Nephrite, I believe Jupiter might need help soon." Nephrite looked up.

"What about Jupiter?" He asked.

"Well, look." Zoicite pointed to the fight on the ground, and he could see an injured and bleeding Sailor Jupiter with an equally injured Venus.

"We need to help them, and soon. I don't think that they were ready for this type of monster." Kunzite said, worry written all over his face. His voice was calm, but his hands were gripping the tree with such force that his knuckles were white.

"They need our help, Nephrite. We must go." Zoicite said, putting his hand on Nephrite's shoulder. Nephrite nodded.

"Generals, Assemble!" Each one flew to the ground, each landing in front of their own scout. It was then that they realized what kind of creature they were dealing with.

This creature was unlike any of them had ever seen before. It was nothing more than a shadow, but it was reflecting every type of energy. Nephrite tried to use his star powers, but they just flew through the being as if were nothing.

Kunzite threw one of his energy beams, and it reflected into a nearby tree, missing Mercury by a hair. Zoicite flew to protect Mercury, not noticing her shock and surprise at seeing an old enemy come and protect her.

Mercury didn't see Mars anywhere, and then she saw Jedite, another one of the evil generals, fall to the ground with a reflected energy beam lodged in his side. Mars was by his side in a moment, then Mercury realized that Jedite had jumped in front of Mars so that the energy beam didn't hit her.

"Mercury, can you calculate the monster's weak spot?" The general Zoicite asked. She was shocked that he knew her name, but she pulled out her computer anyway. She scanned and rescanned the creature, not sure of what she was going to find.

Then the monster changed. It's form seemed to meld into something new, and equally scary. It started to throw energy at everything, not caring if it hit its target. All of the generals ran to protect each of their girls, and each of the girls watched as their old enemies protected them.

Mercury finally found the monster's weakness, but it would be really hard to hit this creature. When it threw a lightning bolt attack, his body is very vulnerable, and easily destroyed. But Mercury couldn't find a way to get this creature to do a lightning bolt attack.

"His weak spot is when he does a lightning bolt attack. If we can get him to do that attack, he can be destroyed very easily." Mercury said to Zoicite. He nodded, and told it to the other generals.

"All right guys, lets annoy this creature until he does this lightning bolt attack, then focus our energy on him." Kunzite said. Everyone nodded, even the girls. The generals all threw little attacks, and the girls watched as the creature gathered his energy.

Little lightning sparks flew from the creatures limbs, and everyone knew that this was the lightning bolt attack. All the generals waited until more sparks started to flow out of the creature, then they all gathered their energy and threw it at the creature.

The creature was stunned for a moment, then it started to turn to dust. As the last dust fell to the ground, an evil laughter filled the air. The generals all knew that it was Beryl, and the girls knew that the laughter meant trouble. When the laughter stopped, the generals saw that the scouts were staring at them.

It was Jupiter who made the first move. "Why are you here?" Her voice was filled with hate, and Nephrite flinched.

"We are the true generals. We are here to protect you." Kunzite said, but his voice was tinged with worry.

"We fought you a long time ago, and we destroyed you. Now Beryl is back, and so are you." Mars said, her fire attack charged up and ready to fire.

"The generals you fought were Beryl's clones of us. She used them in the past, and she used them in this time period. But us, we have lived and were reborn with all of our memories, and the memory of what happened many years ago." Nephrite said.

"Then who are you, if you are not the evil generals we fought before?" Mercury asked.

"I am Zoicite, 4th General to the Prince of the Earth."

"I am Jedite, 3rd General to the Prince of the Earth."

"I am Nephrite, 2nd General to the Prince of the Earth."

"And I am Kunzite, 1st General to the Prince of the Earth." Each general bowed down low as they announced themselves.

"Who is the Prince of the Earth?" Sailor Moon asked.

"The Prince of the Earth is Prince Endymion. In this time period, I believe he is called Darien." The girls all had their mouths open in shock as they looked at the generals in amazement.

"The Prince of the Earth is Darien?!" Sailor Moon said, shocked.

"Yes. You did not know that?" Jedite asked.

"No, we didn't. We just thought that he was Tuxedo Mask, and that was it." Mars said, her voice now quiet, and her attack gone from her hands.

"His Tuxedo Mask form is only to protect the princess. But he also has a Prince Endymion form that he could use." Zoicite said.

"But how come he has never used it? And why, if he is the prince, does he not remember any of this?" Venus asked.

"He has used it, but it was only when he was brainwashed by Beryl. And he hasn't remembered any of this because, along with you, Queen Serenity sent you to the future to be reborn, while we didn't. We were reborn here, along with you, but we still had all of our memories." Kunzite said.

"Why were you not sent to the future with us?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Because Queen Serenity couldn't find us, and that was because Queen Beryl had us in an alternate dimension, or we were in some type of bubble. We had to watch the whole fight between Beryl and the Moon, and we had to watch as the Queen captured Beryl, and we had to watch as all of you disappeared." Nephrite replied, the memories flooding back into his mind, making his voice sound sad.

"Why don't we take you back to our place, and we will tell you the story of the Silver Millennium. It might help answer any of the questions you might have." Kunzite said.

"That should be good. It could also help us to find out how we can get Darien's mind back." Jupiter said.

"He does not remember being brainwashed, or being with you at all?" Kunzite asked.

"No, he just knows that he is something strange, but he cannot remember any of it."

"Well, maybe if he saw us, it might help him remember. You could bring him along if you would like?"

"Do you think it would work?" Sailor Moon asked hopefully.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt." Nephrite said. All of the scouts smiles happily.

"Then let's do it." Sailor Moon said, a giant smile on her face. The generals all bowed, then started to walk away. They headed towards their place, and the scouts ran up to them. 

"Where is your place? You never told us." Jupiter said. Nephrite told her, then the scouts ran off again, going to find the prince.

******

Lita smiled as she went towards Darien's apartment. She thought that Nephrite was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen. She remembered how he had jumped in front of her several times during the fight just so she wouldn't get hurt.

She knocked on his door, and a tired Darien answered.

"Hey Lita. What do you want at this time of the night?" It was then that Lita realized that it was about 1:00 in the morning.

"Oh, sorry about the time Darien, but I need you to come with me now." 

"Why now? I just went to bed three hours ago."

"I know, but trust me, you'll understand when you get there."

"All right, but can I get presentable first?"

"Yeah, go ahead. But hurry."

"All right, I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay." Lita waited outside, the night cool, and the stars shining brightly. Every time she closed her eyes, Nephrite's image played behind her eyelids. She had thought that Nathan was great looking, but Nephrite made him look old and boring.

"All right, I'm back." Darien said, bringing Lita back from a daydream that she was thinking. He was dressed, and his hair was combed.

"Okay, let's go." Lita grabbed his wrist, and dragged him over to the General's apartment. When he walked in the door, his memory started to play images that were once forgotten.

He could see the princess, her beauty radiating across the crowd. Her smile was happy, and her eyes were locked with his. He remembered all of the quiet moments he had with her. He shook his head, trying to clear his brain of these images.

"Welcome, Darien." Kunzite said. "You may not remember us, but we remember you, very well. I am Kunzite, your first in command as your bodyguards."

"I am Nephrite, second in command."

"I am Jedite, third in command."

"And I am Zoicite, fourth in command." With each name, Darien remembered even more. But he couldn't remember why the Sailor Scouts were involved.

"We are going to tell you a story. This story is true, and it is about you and us." Kunzite said, looking directly at Darien. "You may or may not remember any of this, but trust me, this is the truth."

"It starts in the Silver Millennium, when you, Darien, was Prince Endymion of the Earth. The Sailor Senshi were the Princess's royal guard, and we were yours.

"It was our first trip to the moon, and you were a nervous wreck. You had heard of the Princess's beauty, and you wanted to impress her very much. When you got there, you two fell instantly in love." This story was starting to bring back many memories of his past life, and Darien was trying to sort them all out. "Along with you falling in love with the princess, us, your generals, had started to fall in love with her senshi. 

"We stayed there for two weeks, and those weeks seemed to fly by at the speed of light. In that time, we knew that all of us were soulmates, born to be together. Also in that time, Beryl had started to attack the Earth.

"You tried to keep us on the moon as long as possible, you wanting to stay with your princess, and us wanting to stay with our senshi. But we were there too long. When we went back to Earth, battles were already going, and we had to try and control them.

"Beryl succeeded in capturing us during the middle of a battle, and when we refused to join her cause, she cloned us. We were in some sort of dimension, because we could see all of the senshi standing behind grand gates that were between the fighting and the palace.

"The false generals went over to the gate, intent on destroying the queen in anyway possible. The senshi didn't know any better, and they let the false generals in. We were screaming to them, but they couldn't hear us. They went to hug their loves, and in return, the false generals stabbed each one.

"It was then that we all wanted to destroy Queen Beryl. But our heartbreak was too great, and we all threw our energy at ourselves, killing us almost instantly. Then we were reborn here, with all of our memories." With Kunzite's last words, all of the scouts, and Darien, remembered who they were. Each of the girl's had tears in their eyes as they ran to their loves and embraced them lovingly.

The Generals, and the Prince were speechless for a moment, afraid that this moment would end. But soon they hugged them back, remembering all of the good times that were hundreds of years ago.

When the moment finally did end, all of them wanted to spend more time with each other, getting to know them all over again. But then they saw that it was 3:00 in the morning, and decided that they would all meet at the park around 2:30.

The scouts were reluctant to leave, but they finally did. Darien stayed behind for a few minutes, though.

"If I am Prince Endymion, why do I not have a form, like you four do?" He asked.

"You do. All you need to do is keep the Tuxedo Mask transformation going, and you will turn into the prince." Kunzite said, tucking a few strands of his hair behind his ear. "It is not as strong a transformation as Tuxedo Mask, though. At least right now. After you get used to it, you will find all of the attacks and powers the transformation actually has."

"Could I try it, right now? You know, just to try it out?"

"Sure." Darien transformed into Tuxedo Mask, and kept the transformation going until he transformed into Prince Endymion.

"Wow! The power I felt with this transformation is very different than the Tuxedo Mask one. This one seems slightly weaker, but it seems to be holding back, or something like that. I've never felt any power like this before."

"It may seem strange to be Prince Endymion right now, but the more you use it, the more you'll get used to it." Darien de-transformed, and then looked at Kunzite.

"Thanks for telling me all of this. I would never of found out on my own."

"No problem, Darien, or should I say, Prince Endymion." Kunzite said, jokingly. "We had better get to know each other better. I am your first in command, and I certainly don't know anything about you except for what I know in the past."

"That's for sure. How about we talk about it tomorrow, or sometime later." Darien said with a yawn. "Because I don't know about you, but I need some sleep." Kunzite chuckled.

"Yes, I could use some sleep myself." Darien walked towards the door.

"Goodnight, my friend."

"Goodnight, Prince Endymion." Darien left, and all of the Generals went to sleep.

******

Lita sighed, and leaned against her door. She remembered everything now, and she was very happy. She couldn't wait to go to sleep, knowing that she would dream about him.

"She wanted to be with him, to lie next to him, to be the one he sees in the morning. She could still feel his arms around her, gentle and soft. She wanted to kiss his lips, to know that he was real, and wouldn't leave her.

Her dreaming was interrupted by the phone ringing, and she went over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Lita?"

"Yes. This is she."

"It's Mina. Tell me that wasn't a dream. Tell me it was real and that my memories aren't playing tricks on me." Mina said, her voice quiet.

"No, Mina. It wasn't a dream. It was very real, and I'm very happy." Mina sighed over the phone.

"Me too, Lita. I'm so glad it wasn't a dream."

"Um, Mina, I hate to break up this nice conversation, but it is 4:00 in the morning, and I really want to get some sleep."

"Oh, all right, Lita." Mina said, bubbling with happiness.

"Goodnight, Mina."

"Goodnight. See ya tomorrow!" Lita heard a click on the other end, and she knew that Mina had hung her phone up.

Lita went into her room, and changed into her nightgown. She lied back in her bed, and gazed at the ceiling, her thoughts on Nephrite and only Nephrite. She wanted to fall asleep, but now she was wide awake, and her eyes refused to close.

She sighed, and sat up, not knowing what to do to fall asleep. Then she heard a voice.

"I knew you wouldn't be asleep." She turned immediately towards her bedroom door, and gasped when she saw Nephrite.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked, surprised that he knew where she lived, and shocked that he would come in her room without knocking or making his presence known.

"I came to see you, Jupiter. I couldn't sleep, and I knew I wouldn't fall asleep until I saw you again." Lita hugged her blanket to her chest, still upset that he had seen her in her nightgown. He walked over to her, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I knew I couldn't fall asleep until I did this." he murmured as he tilted her chin with his hand and kissed her deeply.

Lita was surprised for a moment, then returned the kiss. She noticed at how right it felt, how her heart felt whole when he kissed her. She slid her arms up and around his shoulders, and leaned her body closer to his.

He leaned her back slightly, his hand sliding to the center of her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him tight. But as she did that, he stopped the kiss. She looked at him questioningly.

"I'm sorry, Jupiter. I shouldn't have done that. Please forgive me."

"It's all right, Nephrite." She whispered, trying to coax him back into another kiss. She tried bringing her arms around his shoulders, but he moved out from under them. He got up, and looked at her.

"I should leave now. I promise it will never happen again." After he said that, he left, closing her door behind him with a quiet click. Lita shivered, feeling cold after his warmth left her. It was then that she realized she wasn't transformed at all while he was there.

******

Nephrite cursed at himself for being so stupid. His carelessness had made him kiss Jupiter. No, it was not Jupiter, but Lita, he thought to himself. If she found out that he was Nathan from the park, she would most likely not want to be with him any more because he had lied to her.

He found himself standing near the pond in the park. He picked up a rock, and threw it in the water. He watched the ripples spread and flatten, and he knew that he had to go back to his apartment.

But he couldn't go back there for some reason. His body wouldn't let him. He picked up another stone, and he noticed that it was a color very close to emerald. He could see that color in Jupiter's eyes, and he almost ran back to her apartment just to see those eyes again.

"I thought I would find you here." A male voice said. It was Darien, and Kunzite was with him.

"I couldn't sleep." It was the truth, but it seemed like a lame answer.

"I know. I saw you leave, and I saw you go to her apartment." Kunzite said, his voice quiet. "Why did you go there?" Nephrite looked to the ground.

"I needed to see her, Kunzite. I needed to know that she was real, right here, and knowing that I exist." Nephrite was about to cry. He hated being separated from her. It was like both of them were magnets that were trying to join together. Kunzite hugged him.

"It may seem like torture, trust me I know, but we must not go to see them. It could ruin everything. Especially since Beryl is back, and she might try to use our love for them against the girls again." Nephrite sniffled.

"I know. But it was, like, I would die if I didn't see her. It was as if my life would explode because my heart couldn't wait any longer."

"Come on, we have to get some rest. You have a big day with Lita in about three hours, and you have not gotten an ounce of sleep yet all night." Nephrite nodded, and started to walk back to the apartment. He glanced at the time, and noticed that it was already 6:30!

"You know, I might as well stay up. There is no use for me to go to sleep when I know that sleep won't come until I see her again."

"Well, if you get all cranky tonight, don't blame me." Kunzite said, waving his hand in the air. Nephrite just smiled as he walked back to the apartment, Darien on one side of him and Kunzite a few steps back.

******

Lita waited patiently on a bench in the park. She had dressed casual, but nice, hoping to impress him. I still think this guy is a hottie, she thought. 

"I'm sorry I'm late, Lita." His voice said from behind her. She smiled.

"It's all right, Nathan. I thought we would start here anyway. This park is a wonderful place to begin."

"Yes, it is." His voice was closer this time, almost by her ear. She turned slightly, but he was standing a few feet behind the bench, so he couldn't of been that close. She sighed, hoping that she might have caught him. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Lita shook her head. With all the excitement of the day, and her memories of the night before, she had forgotten to eat anything. "How about we go get breakfast? I passed a charming little diner on my way over here." He leaned closer to her, but not close enough to mean anything. She noticed something in his eyes, something that seemed so familiar for some reason. But she couldn't put her finger on it.

"All right. Let's go." He gently put his hand around her wrist, and helped her out of the bench. He let go of her wrist, and then offered his arm. She wrapped her arm around it, hoping that he might like her. He seemed to smile, but she couldn't be sure.

They reached the diner, and he let go of her arm. "What would you like, Lita?" She looked at the menu, and chose something simple.

"I'll have the double pancakes, please."

"With orange juice, milk, or coffee?" The waitress asked.

"Orange juice, please."

"All right. Your orders will be here as soon as possible." The waitress said, ripping off her little receipt. They sat down at a table designed for two, and they sipped the complementary glass of water.

"What were you planning on showing me today, besides the park?" He asked, his voice calm.

"I thought I would take you just around the city. Kind of a tourist type thing." Then she remembered that he was a tourist, and she blushed. He noticed and smiled.

"You can say it, I am a tourist. I'm here for a little bit, though. All of the bachelors of the year got to come here for an all expense-paid trip because we were chosen. I'm sure you have probably seen some of the other bachelors walking around here." Lita nodded. She, in fact, had seen the four that were perfect matches for the sailor senshi.

"Is there anything you would like to do while I show you around? Do you like to shop?"

"I'm not very fond of shopping, but I would like to stop at some of the fine restaurants and sample some of their cooking. All of the good restaurants knew I was coming, and called me to say that I am allowed into any restaurant to sample any of their food."

"Wow! That's pretty cool. I love to cook. It would be really neat to sample some of the different recipes that some of the best restaurants in Tokyo produce."

"I'm going to tell them that you are my sidekick, so that you would be able to be served like me. It would make it easier than having to wait for a table." He smiled, a dashing smile that made Lita's heart do a double beat.

"That's true." She said, returning the smile. The waitress came back with the orders, and placed their orders on the table.

Both of them ate in silence. Mostly because the food was delicious, and Lita didn't want to put her fork down. The pancakes were buttery and covered in syrup.

Then suddenly, his fork fell, and his face was white.

"What's wrong, Nathan?" Lita was worried. She had never seen anyone go from being normal to totally terrified in so little time.

"I have to go, Lita. I'm sorry to leave you so soon. I will call you later, or something. I must go now." He left a couple of bills on the table, and jogged out the door, not waiting for a reply from Lita.

Lita looked surprised for a moment, then her communicator beeped.

"Lita, we need you in the park now!" Mercury's voice was worried, which frightened Lita. She ran out to the front of the store, and went into a side alley.

"JUPITER STAR POWER!" Her transformation was over as fast as it had started. She then made her way over to the park.

******

Mars was standing against a tree, Venus was on the ground bleeding, Sailor Moon was trying to get away from the creature, and Jupiter had not yet shown up. The Generals were just as bad off, since Nephrite hadn't shown up yet, either.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" Mars' attack hit the monster, but it barely even made a mark. The creature just laughed and threw energy at her. Jedite jumped in the way, protecting Mars, but he fell to the ground, rolling in pain.

Finally, Nephrite showed up, and he powered his attack right away. This caused the creature to back up a few steps, giving Mercury and Zoicite a chance to hit the monster. The monster was now fumbling, his mistakes more numerous than his hits. The Generals were all able to hit the creature, and the scouts were standing next to the generals, placing their senshi attacks in with the generals' attacks.

Jupiter showed up about then. She immediately went to Nephrite's side, and rammed a couple of thunderbolts into the creature. The creature was backed into a corner, and Sailor Moon dusted it.

"Gee Sailor Jupiter, it was nice of you to join us." Mars' sarcastic voice made Jupiter flinch.

"It probably wasn't her fault, Mars. You should be happy that she even showed up at all." Nephrite's voice was a challenge, and both Mars and Jupiter knew it. Jupiter put her hand on Nephrite's wrist.

"Come on, please don't do this." She whispered pleadingly into his ear. Nephrite's rage seemed to disappear when he looked into her eyes, eyes that were about to cry. One tear escaped Jupiter's emotional barrier, and Nephrite wiped it away with a gloved hand.

"I will, for you." He put his hand to her cheek, and she cradled it with her hands. Mars was about to retaliate, but Jedite stopped her.

"Come on, Mars. Let's not start a war between you and Nephrite." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she nodded. She slid her hand into his, making Jedite breath deep.

"All right, Jedite." Each general was with his senshi. Kunzite was tending to Venus's wounds with the helpful aid of Mercury and Zoicite. Nephrite was talking intimately with Jupiter, and Jedite was holding Mars.

Everyone was so happy, and they didn't want to leave each other. But they knew that they would have to part, or they would raise suspicion. But Jupiter refused to leave Nephrite. He tried to coax her to leave, but she wouldn't budge.

"You came to me last night. I want you to come to me again. Or I will go to you. Either way, we are seeing each other tonight."

"That's not possible, Jupiter. It might ruin everything. It's not that I don't want to be with you, it's quite the opposite. I want to spend every moment with you, but with everything that is going on right now, it's not possible."

"Why not?"

"It's just not possible right now, that's all. Please forgive me, I really do love you." His hand was against her cheek, and his other arm was wrapped around her waist. She had some tears sliding down her face, and he gently wiped them away. "Do not cry, my love. I know it is hard. It is hard on me, too. But you must understand that if I see you now, our whole world could be jeopardized." She sighed, finally giving in. "That's my girl. Now please, don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry like this."

"All right, Nephrite. But promise me you will come to see me once more, please?" Her voice was pleading, and his heart melted.

"All right. I will come tonight. But only for a little bit." Jupiter smiled at this.

"All right. Till tonight, then." She kissed him softly.

"Till tonight." He whispered. He stroked her hair once, then turned and walked away. Jupiter was giddy with happiness. She couldn't wait for tonight. She decided that she would call Nathan later to tell him that he had better find a new person to show him around town.

She ran home, wanting to get ready for him to arrive. But it was then that she realized he hadn't told her what time. So that made her rush home even faster. When she looked at her watch, it said 12:30. She decided she would cook up a couple of goodies, and clean her already spotless apartment so that he might want to stay longer.

When she got into her apartment, she noticed a note on her table.

_Dear Jupiter. I will be here around midnight. Do not wait up for me, I promise I will make my presence known. Yours always and forever, Nephrite._

So now she realized that she had about eleven hours until he showed up, giving her plenty of time to get herself ready. She decided she would take a shower, and then make some cookies or something. So she went into her bedroom, and got ready.

******

It was almost midnight, and Lita's heart was racing. She knew that he would be arriving soon, and she knew that she should be asleep. She was wearing her best nightgown, and she let her hair down. She went into her bedroom, and tried to fall asleep, knowing that she wouldn't fall asleep until he slept beside her.

There was a noise at her door, and she quickly made herself look asleep. The door opened, revealing Nephrite. He went to her bedside, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Jupiter. It's me, Nephrite." She faked an awakening, then went straight into his arms. He put his arms around her, and stroked her hair with his fingers. She curled her head underneath his chin, and stroked his chest with her hand.

"I love you, Nephrite. Please don't ever leave me."

"I won't." His voice was a whisper against her ear. She tilted her head up to him, and he bent down to kiss her. Their kiss lasted minutes, neither of them wanting to leave each others' embrace. And when they finally did part, both of them wanted to return to each other. "You are so beautiful, Jupiter." He whispered.

"This isn't Jupiter." She said against his ear.

"I know. You are Lita. And I have a confession to make myself." 

"What?"

"I am Nathan." After he said that, he was surprised to find Lita back in his arms. He had thought she would hate him for not being honest with her.

"I thought you were. I wasn't sure, but I could tell you had to be someone I knew." He smiled.

"I am glad you are not upset with me. Maybe now we might be able to see each other more." Lita smiled, then curled up in his arms. He kissed her hair, and rocked her back and forth.

"I love you, Nephrite."

"I love you, too, Jupiter." He tilted her head back and kissed her deeply. She leaned into the kiss, stroking his hair with her hands. He wanted to do more, but he knew that he had to leave. He broke off the kiss, making Lita gasp. "I'm sorry, Lita. I can't do this right now. It is time for me to leave."

"But you just got here! Please don't leave me!" She pleaded, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. He couldn't bear to see that happen. He cradled her in his arms, and rocked her back and forth.

"You must understand, Lita. In order for me to be with you, I need to destroy Beryl, once and for all. She may use our love for each other against us again, and I couldn't live through that. And I cannot destroy Beryl yet, I am not ready. I can not let her know that our love is as strong as it is." Lita was crying against his chest.

"I just don't feel whole without you." She sobbed. "It doesn't feel right to be alone anymore."

"I know. It doesn't feel right for me, either. But we must be strong, Lita. We can do this. Trust me." She nodded, but she still cried. He just sat there, rocking her back and forth, knowing that she was crying herself to sleep.

When he finally heard her crying stop, he gently put her back into her bed. He pulled the covers over her body, and bent down to kiss her lips. He kneeled next to her bed for a few minutes, stroking her hair, and running his hand along her cheek.

"I love you, dear Lita. I promise I will return to you." He whispered this in her ear, and when he looked back at her face, she was smiling in her sleep. He smiled too, then quietly made his way back out of her apartment.

He walked the streets of Tokyo, his mind wandering from dream to dream. He dreamed of Lita, of how she was in the past, of how she is now. He wanted to be with her every waking and sleeping moment. He could still feel her kiss, her hands, her touch, and he wanted more than ever to feel those again.

While he was walking, he met up with Kunzite. Nephrite was frightened for a moment, knowing that Kunzite never went out after hours unless there was danger. But when he saw the dazed look on his face, he knew that Kunzite was out there for the same reason he was.

"Hey Kunzite." Kunzite was startled for a moment, then his face cleared.

"Hi Nephrite. I'm guessing that you are out here for the same reason I am."

"Just to think about your girl?"

"Exactly."

"Yes, that's why I'm out here. I went to go see her. I promised her I would. Now it's all I want to do, I want to be with her, to know that she is safe."

"I went to go see Mina, too. She was injured really bad, and I took her back to her place. She knew I was Kenneth. But she didn't care. We sat there, holding each other for a long time. Now, all I want to do is feel her arms around me again, to know that she is real." Kunzite was just speaking his mind, not really saying this to anyone in particular.

"I know how you feel. I hope that Beryl can be destroyed soon. I won't last long if I can't spend all my time with Lita. She means the Earth, Moon, and Stars to me." Nephrite sighed, longing for his love just as much as Kunzite.   
"I believe we should head back to the apartment. I know I will want some sleep, even if it will only be dreams of Mina. Come on." He led Nephrite back to the apartment, his arm lightly draped around Nephrite's shoulder in a friendly manner.

******

The next morning, Nephrite woke up to a dream that he loved to remember. It was the dream of the day he had proposed, when he got to see Jupiter's face light up with happiness when he asked. But then the nightmare started. He was glad that he woke up before the nightmare part could begin.

"Good morning, Nephrite." A tired Jedite said, yawning. "Were you up all last night, too?"

"I was up late. I went to visit Lita, and I took a little walk afterwards. Why? Were you up really late?"

"Yea, you could say that." Jedite smiled his mischievous smile, and he knew that Jedite had stayed at Raye's temple pretty much the whole night. And he also knew that Jedite loved to be naughty.

"You didn't, Jedite! Come on! It could ruin everything!" Nephrite knew it really couldn't hurt anything because their love for each other was obvious already. But it would just make it harder on Jedite if anything went wrong.

"Yes, I did. And haven't you? I mean, you go visit Lita during the night." Jedite was fully awake, and was trying to pry into Nephrite's personal life with Lita.

"No, I haven't." That was the end of the discussion as far as Nephrite was concerned. He got up and left the room, knowing that Jedite would be spending his whole day with Raye, and that the rest of the generals would be with their girls as well.

Nephrite walked out of the apartment, and went towards Lita's place. When he got there, he found Lita still asleep in her bed.

"Lita, do you mind if I am here?" He asked quietly in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw him, she smiled.

"No, you can stay." She rolled onto her side, her back facing him.

"Did you stay up late last night?" Lita nodded and yawned. "Then you fall right back asleep. I will be right here when you wake up." He found one of Lita's hands, and he gently held it in his. She murmured an okay, then her breathing slowed and she fell back asleep. Nephrite kneeled next to her bed, and played with the soft strands of her hair as he watched her sleep.

She is so beautiful, he thought. His hand moved down to her back, and he ran his fingers along her spine. She sighed happily in her sleep, and he smiled. He took her hand back in his, then rested his head on the edge of her bed.

"I love you, Lita." Then he, too, fell asleep.

When he woke back up, Lita was sitting up and brushing his hair with her fingers. He smiled, then sat up.

"Good morning, Lita." 

"Good morning, Nephrite." Her voice was tired, but he could see the happiness in her eyes. He smiled, then sat on her bed. He tilted her head back, and he kissed her mouth softly. She put her arms around his chest, and held him close.

When they broke the kiss, Lita sighed.

"How come we never finish the kiss, Nephrite?" Nephrite knew what she was talking about, but he didn't want to answer her right now.

"Because I'm afraid of where it might lead us." He didn't want to look in her eyes, he knew that they would be saying exactly what he didn't want to hear.

"Why are you afraid of where it might lead us? I'm not. Please?" She pleaded, and he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"You know that this is going to ruin everything." He said, his voice submissive. Lita smiled, and gave a little laugh.

"Doesn't it always?" She chuckled. He smiled again.

"Yes, it always does." He kissed her again, but this kiss was more than just the other kisses. This kiss was the symbol of their love, and it would be the kiss that would be finished for the first time.

He leaned her back gently on the bed, their lips still locked in the kiss. The world seemed to stop revolving, and time seemed to be nonexistent. It was just them.

******

When she woke up, she felt him near her. Quiet breathing sounds were coming from someone next to her, and then her mind cleared. She smiled as she remembered everything they had shared, and she turned over on her stomach.

He woke up, too, but his mood wasn't so happy. He loved being with Lita, and he loved everything they had shared, but he knew that he shouldn't of let himself get so far with her. He blamed himself if anything went wrong.

"Lita, I know I shouldn't of done that, I shouldn't of let myself gotten so far." He was upset, and Lita got upset, too.

"I'm not upset at you, far from it in fact. But are you upset with me?" Lita' lower lip trembled lightly, and he embraced her immediately.

"No, no, no. I could never be upset at you. I'm just upset at myself for letting things get carried away, that's all. Please don't ever think that I would be upset with you." He held her close for a few minutes, making sure that she wasn't upset. She sniffled, and wiped a tear away. "Please don't cry Lita. I'm sorry I'm sounding so upset. Trust me, it's not your fault. Shhhh." He heard her cry, and he held her even closer, rubbing her back with his fingertips. He felt her tears on his shoulder, and he felt bad that he had seemed so negative about a time like this.

"I thought that you would of been happy." She sobbed. Nephrite didn't know that his negative attitude would make her cry like this, and he felt truly sorry. She moved out of his embrace, and went to get a robe. She was still crying, and Nephrite wanted to run to her and make her feel better, but he didn't know how anymore.

He got up, too, and put his clothes on. Now he felt depressed, and he buttoned his shirt slowly. His eyes wanted to cry, but he couldn't let his emotional barrier down. He did that when he was with Lita, and now she knew all of his weaknesses.

"Please go, Nephrite. I want to be alone right now." Lita's eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and he bent his head in sadness.

"If that is what you want, I will go." 

"That is what I want." Lita clutched the robe around herself, and watched as he left her room.

******

"How could I be so stupid!" Nephrite cursed himself all the way back to his apartment. "I should have known that a negative attitude about such a sensitive thing would make her upset. I am such an idiot!" He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, and Kunzite seemed to appear behind him.

"You know, the apartment was three blocks ago." Nephrite jumped at the surprise, then realized it was only Kunzite.

"Oh. I didn't see it."

"What happened?" Kunzite was automatically worried, especially since it was Nephrite who suggested they memorize the map of Tokyo.

"Lita and I, we, you know."

"Why did you do that?"

"She wanted it, and so did I. I let my guard down. Then afterwards, I got really negative about it, and she got really upset. Then she told me to leave, and I did."

"You know better than to act negatively. That isn't like you to act like that."

"I know. And the strange thing is, it didn't feel like it was me saying those things. It felt like I was just watching myself say those things."

"That's strange. Did she seem to act different to you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Maybe it was just a mistake, and she'll be fine tomorrow." Kunzite was hopeful, but Nephrite didn't feel any better.

"I hope so." Nephrite sighed, wishing that Lita would come running up to him and telling him it was just a big mistake. "But for some reason, I don't think that's the case."

"You're probably right, but I was just trying to be hopeful for your sake. Cheer up, she'll come around." Nephrite nodded, then turned around to go back to his apartment.

"Hey, have you and Mina done anything?" It was Kunzite's turn to go quiet. Then he nodded.

"Yeah, we did. It was last night. I know I shouldn't have, but it felt so right."

"Do you know if Zoicite and Mercury did anything? I know Jedite and Mars did."

"I'm pretty sure that their relationship is still not fulfilled. But I don't believe Zoicite would wait much longer. After all, he was one of the most sought after guys in the Silver Millennium." Kunzite chuckled, and Nephrite smiled. "And, Jedite was the guy who would go anywhere if he could get anything. He was probably the first one out of us all."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was. He went over to Raye's last night, but he was there before, too. I'm sure he didn't wait too long."

"He never waits."

"True. But that can sometimes be an advantage, because he never waits for anything." Nephrite said, putting lots of emphasis on the word 'everything.' It was a well known fact that the third General of the Earth would not wait for anything.

Nephrite sighed, and started to walk towards his apartment. He put his hands in his pockets, and felt something in them. It was a piece of paper, and some words were scribbled across it.

It was a note from Lita.

_Dearest Nephrite. I know that by the time you have read this, many things must have happened. But know that no matter what you or I do, I will always love you. Forever. Yours always, Lita._

This note confused Nephrite. It was sending mixed emotions through his head, and he decided to turn around and go see Lita once again.

But as he made his way over to her apartment, he kept on having the feeling that he should be somewhere else. He wanted to run towards the park, but he didn't want to get sidetracked, so he kept on going towards Lita's.

When he reached her apartment, he didn't even knock on the door. He walked right in, and found someone standing in her living room, a person that didn't belong there.

"Who are you? And why are you in Lita's apartment?" Nephrite asked forcefully. The person turned around, and Nephrite recognized the face immediately. The only bad thing was that he couldn't remember where he saw that face before.

"I am Lilly, Queen Beryl's personal general." The woman's voice sounded like it didn't belong with the evil look in her eyes. She had long blond hair that flowed down her back in soft curls, and her eyes were the color of tarnished silver. The only thing that seemed wrong with her eyes was that they seemed to have a reddish tint to them.

"Well, Lilly, why are you here?" Nephrite was slowly making his way toward Lilly, trying not to make it look like he was moving closer. But as he slid his foot across the floor, his toe bumped the desk, and he had to stop immediately.

"Don't come any closer!" Lilly's hand glowed a light purple, and small energy sparks were dancing around between her fingertips. Nephrite could now see what Lilly was hiding. Lita was lying on the ground behind Lilly, and she looked like she was hurt.

"Lita!" Nephrite didn't care if Lilly was standing right there and ready to kill him. He didn't care if she would take him to Beryl and he would be brainwashed by her. All he cared about right now was that Lita was hurt, and that he would make her better.

He pushed Lilly to the ground, making her knock over a table and a lamp. Nephrite kneeled down next to Lita, and wiped a spot of blood off of the corner of her lip. He brushed a few strands of her hair away from a swelling lump that started to grow on her forehead, and kissed her cheek gently. He then looked at the fallen Lilly with a cold, hard look. "Get out of here." His voice was low, but it was the voice of a man who was ready to kill. Lilly got up, but did not leave.

"Not without the scout." She threw an unexpected blast of energy toward him, and he was thrown back. She lunged for Lita, but Nephrite was covering her once again.

"In your dreams, Nega Scum!" Nephrite lunged toward Lilly, knocking her to the floor. He grabbed her wrists and held them tight against her body so that she couldn't move. But she gathered energy in her hands and blasted it toward Nephrite.

Nephrite flinched, and his grip slipped. She struggled out of his grasp, and grabbed Lita. It was then that Lita woke up.

"N-Nephrite?" Her voice was shaky and quiet, and it broke Nephrite's heart to hear her like this.

"I'm here, Lita." His voice was a gasp of pain as Lilly sent another blast of energy at him. Lita, who was still on the floor, started to crawl her way over to him, but was blocked by the dark form of Lilly.

"You're not going anywhere, Sailor Brat. Queen Beryl wants you immediately." Lilly bent down and picked up Lita.

"No! Nephrite! Don't let her take me!" Lita's voice was a worried whisper, and Nephrite reached his hand out to her.

"Don't take her, please!" Nephrite was begging to Lilly now. He couldn't stand to see Lita disappear when he finally found her. Lilly turned to look at him.

"What do I get in return?" Nephrite knew what she had in mind, and he was not afraid to give it.

"Myself." Lita looked at Nephrite in fear. She was shaking her head, but he pretended he didn't notice. "I give myself in return for her. You leave her here, and I will go with you." Lilly smiled an evil smile, then put Lita down on the couch.

"Deal." Lita was shaking her head, and trying to tell him not to go, but Nephrite wouldn't let her say anything.

"Lita, I love you. I'm sorry about what happened today, and I promise I will come back. Just know that I will always be yours." He kissed Lita softly on her mouth, then turned away quickly, not wanting Lita to see the tears that were sliding down his cheeks.

"Come, Nephrite." Lilly grabbed Nephrite's wrist, and disappeared through a dark opening. The last thing Nephrite heard as he went through was the sound of Lita crying.

******

Amy and Mina both were lying on the floor of the general's apartment, a bump on both of their foreheads. Darien tried to wake them up, but they seemed to be unconscious. He called out for the generals, but only got the answer of Raye. Her voice was nothing but a quiet sob.

"She took them. She meant to take us, but she took them instead." Raye was huddled next to the couch in the middle of the room, and she had a small cut above her eyebrow.

"Who took them, Raye?" Darien knelt next to her, and gently wiped away a drop of blood that trickled from the cut.

"L-Lilly. She said Beryl wanted us, but she took them." Raye fell against Darien, and cried on his shoulder. He patted and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"Who is Lilly, Raye? I need to know to help get them back." Darien took Raye in his arms, and placed her on the chair that was next to the couch.

"She is Beryl's general." Raye was sniffling now, and she seemed to be feeling better. "She grabbed me, and was taking me away when Jedite stopped her. She hurt him bad, then he told her to take him instead of me. I shook my head and told him not to, but he wouldn't listen." Raye started to cry again, and Darien hugged her shoulders.

"We'll get them back, I promise." He kissed the top of her head lightly and let her cry on his shoulder.

******

Nephrite leaned against the stone wall that surrounded the cell all of the generals were in. They realized that their powers would not work in breaking down this wall because they absorbed the energy that they threw.

"So how is everyone?" A happy, evil voice said. A misty shape of Beryl floated into the cell, and all of the generals stood up.

"You had better not of hurt them, Beryl." Jedite growled. Nephrite saw that Jedite was scared, and it wasn't about his current situation. He was worried that Beryl hurt Raye, and Nephrite could see why.

"Oh, not yet." Beryl was smiling an evil smile, and her voice sounded like she was up to something.

"You said you wouldn't hurt them." Nephrite was white with fear. In his mind, he knew that Beryl would get the girls here no matter what. But he wasn't sure about what would happen after that.

"But I didn't promise." Beryl had the look of a child who is about to do mischief. She waved her finger at them and made a tsking noise. All of the generals' mouths were open, and terror filled their eyes. "You'll see them soon enough. But right now, I would rest. You all have a very busy day tomorrow." Beryl's form disappeared, and all of the generals collapsed to the floor. Jedite had tears of rage rolling down his cheeks, and Kunzite was beating the wall with his fist. Nephrite was huddled in a corner, and could only see his beloved Lita in front of his eyes. Zoicite seemed to be the only one calm.

"We should try and get some rest, guys. There's no use in getting ourselves all tired." He said, his face a picture of defeat.

"How can you be so calm, Zoicite? Your true love might come here tomorrow and be dying right in front of you. Aren't you even worried?!" Jedite screamed. Nephrite could see sparks flying off of Jedite, and he went over to comfort him.

"Jedite. Be calm about it. Yes, we are all worried about them. But Zoicite is right, we can not worry ourselves about it so that we are too tired and upset to do anything about it." Nephrite put his hand lightly on Jedite's shoulder, but he just shrugged it off.

"Get away from me, Nephrite. I'm sick of all of your lectures, and your smart comments." Jedite spat out. Nephrite jumped back, scared that his friend had just snapped so harshly at him.

Jedite! I order you to be calm!" Kunzite said loudly. It was now Jedite's turn to be surprised. In all of the time that the generals had known each other, Kunzite had never used his higher authority to command them. "We are not doing our girls any good by arguing with each other. Let's just get some rest, and we'll wait for what tomorrow has to bring." Kunzite settled against a far wall, and the others all curled into a corner.

As soon as their eyes all closed, they opened them again to see a female form come into the room. Nephrite recognized it immediately as being Lilly, Beryl's lead general.

"I hope you had enough sleep, Generals. Today is going to be a very hard day on all of you." Lilly sneered at them. Jedite growled in his throat.

"Where are they? You had better not of hurt them." Jedite raised his fist to her, and was then thrown against the wall by her attack.

"Please do not get me any more angry than what I already am." Jedite stood up, and shook off the feeling of the attack. "Now come with me."

It was not like the generals had a choice to follow her or not. They were pulled along by some force that kept them only a few feet behind her. When they reached a large room, the generals spotted the girls, and Darien.

"Raye!" Jedite yelled. He started to run to her, but was pulled back by that force.

"In my opinion, this is the worst punishment Beryl could put upon anyone. So I hope you enjoy it." Lilly said, seriousness plain on her face. The generals stood tall, hoping that it wasn't as bad as what had happened in the past. But they knew that no matter what Beryl did, it would always be more terrible than the last thing she did.

The misty form of Beryl appeared in front of the generals' eyes, and she blocked their view of the prisoners on the other side of the force.

"Take a good look at your girls, generals. It is the last time they will remember you as being their love." Beryl didn't waste any time in stating what she was doing. It startled Nephrite because he wasn't use to this type of attack from Beryl.

Beryl aimed her staff at the girls, and they all rose off of the ground. Darien had appeared on this side of the force, and he too, watched as the girls rose from the ground. They were all unconscious, and their bodies seemed limp.

All of a sudden, they were awake, and standing in front of the generals. The generals were shocked, but only for a second. Each immediately embraced their girl, but none of them returned it.

Jedite looked at Raye questioningly. "What did you do to them Beryl? What did you do?!" Jedite was on the verge of going wild because Raye had not returned his love to her.

"Oh, I just made them believe you were the enemy, and you will see the new part of this punishment in a minute."

Just as she said that, every one of the generals and Darien fell to the ground, writhing in pain. This pain, however, was not new to them. Beryl was cloning them again. The pain radiated from inside out, and it was not like any other pain felt before. This pain felt like your whole self was being ripped off your body, and then you were what was left over.

After the pain had stopped, the generals were still on the ground. They slowly started to get up, and then they realized what Beryl was doing.

"NO! Raye! Please Raye! NO!" Jedite screamed. He pounded on the force, trying to break it with sheer strength, but it was not doing anything.

"Lita! Please don't do this to me, Lita! PLEASE!" Nephrite yelled, too. He had tears streaming down his face, and he saw bloody spots on his arms and legs from getting cloned. It was then that the harshest part happened.

Each of the cloned generals bent down, and kissed his scout. Jedite, by far, was the worse off when it came to dealing with the loss of his love. He was trying to kill Beryl now, kicking and punching the misty form of her. But she just laughed at him.

"There is no use in trying to hurt me. I am not really alive. But I will be shortly. Have fun watching as your girls fall in love with the wrong generals." There was a hint of laughter in Beryl's voice, and then she disappeared.

******

The generals had given up now. Not even Jedite tried to stop the cloned generals from taking over his role of being Raye's lover. They all just sulked in their cell, watching how the cloned generals mimicked the real general's kindness towards the girls.

"I knew Beryl was cruel, but I didn't know she was heartless." Nephrite said, his voice the sound of total defeat. He then flinched when he saw his clone kiss Lita like he used to. It hurt him in his heart, and he knew that he could never get her back now that her love was for the wrong general.

"She's not alive, Nephrite. She's not able to have a heart. She has no body for a heart to reside in." Jedite said, his back turned to the view screen that showed the clones and the girls. He had taken this very hard, and he had even tried to kill himself.

"That's true, Jedite." Nephrite replied. He leaned his head back, and let his mind wander. But no matter what he did, he could not get his mind off of Lita. All he could see was her eyes, and how they sparkled when she laughed, and how they shone when she cried. He tried erasing this memory, but no matter what he did, the image just grew brighter and more vivid.

"Do you think Beryl will ever let us go?" Kunzite asked from his corner of the cell. He had been quiet ever since Beryl cloned them, and they were all glad that he had finally said something.

"I'm not sure. I doubt it, though. If she was cruel enough to do this to us, she is cruel enough to make us watch it 24 hours a day for the rest of our lives." Zoicite replied, his back also to the view screen. He had tested and re-tested the walls around the cell, and found each and every one of them to be indestructible to their attacks.

There was a small sparkle at the corner of the room that caught Nephrite's eye, and he went over to see what it was. It was a purple gem, and Nephrite realized what it was.

"Hey guys, I think I found our way out." He held the gem in the palm of his hand, and called the name of Pluto out loud. The air shimmered a dark purple and hazy gray, and then the form of Sailor Pluto appeared.

She stood there for a moment, looking at the generals, and they looked back. Then she spoke. "I see you have finally found my gem. I know you all want to get your girls back, so I won't waste any time on pleasantries. Follow me." Se led them through a porthole that ended at her post guarding the gates of time.

"What are we doing here, Pluto? And why have you decided to come and rescue us?" Zoicite asked, studying the gates of time.

"I do not have a lot of time to explain things to you, but I can answer why I rescued you. Well, to put it bluntly, I was the only one who could reach you where you were. There was no one else who knew of your presence in the negaverse except for yourselves. And you knew very well that you could not escape on your own. So I got you out of there."

"Thank you, Pluto, for rescuing us." Kunzite said, his head hanging slightly less than before.

"You're welcome, generals. Now, what I am about to show you, you will need to remember or else you will not be able to get them back."

"We're listening, Pluto. Please go on." Nephrite said, motioning for her to continue. She took her staff, and opened the Gates of Time.

"This man," she said, pointing to a man that was sitting in a chair, "is Daniel. He used to be the fifth general of the Earth, but Endymion had decided to not let him stay a general because of some problems Endymion had with him.

"Daniel had a soulmate, and her name was Lilly. She was the princess of the Earth, but she was not that well known of. She was quiet, and very beautiful. Well, Daniel had spent a lot of time with Lilly, and Endymion didn't like it. He tried to separate them without them really realizing it. But Lilly knew what her brother was up to, and she refused to hear of it. Her and Daniel ran off together, and they weren't heard of in a long time.

"When they were heard from again, Daniel had been injured in a fight to try and stop Beryl from entering the silver Millennium, and he was near death. Lilly was with-child, and she was unable to use her Earth attacks to try and defend off some of the evil creatures that continued to fight Daniel.

"When help finally did arrive, Daniel was dead, and Lilly had lost her child to the claws of a monster. Endymion brought Lilly to Queen Serenity to be healed, but by then, Lilly, too, had died. Both of their bodies had been placed in the palace, and two days later, Queen Beryl attacked the moon.

"Queen Serenity, when she had captured everyone in the crystal, included both Lilly and Daniel too, so that they would also be reborn on Earth as well. But now, something terrible has happened. Beryl had found Lilly when she was younger, and brainwashed her so that Lilly would only know Beryl. When Beryl was destroyed by the scouts, Lilly saved a part of Beryl, and that is what brought her back now.

"We must get both your girls, and Lilly out of he reaches of Beryl before any attack is staged against her. She knows that Lilly is important, and she could try and use Lilly against us. Please generals, you must do this. Daniel lives in Tokyo as well, and you must find him. He knows the way into the negaverse, and he knows Beryl's weaknesses. He is very important to getting them back." Pluto seemed to be pleading with them, but the generals didn't notice. They were wrapped up in trying to find a way to find Daniel.

"Does he have any attacks, or weapons that he can use?" Zoicite asked.

"He has a silver staff with a glass orb at the top. Underneath are two wings with a heart that joins the centers of them together. This staff is just as powerful as the one Beryl uses. If you all channel your energy into that orb, it will send it towards Beryl and will probably destroy her."

"I believe we have heard enough. Maybe we should get to Tokyo now so we can find Daniel and think up a plan on how to get the girls from the negaverse." Kunzite said, already heading towards the gate.

"Yes, I do believe it is time for you to leave. This mission must be fulfilled in order for the timeline to go back to normal. If the timeline does not go back to normal, your futures could be in jeopardy. I'm begging you, please succeed." All of the generals noticed the need in her voice, and realized that this mission meant more than what they thought.

"We will succeed, Pluto. We have to." Jedite said, bowing down low. "Farewell, Sailor Pluto."

"Farewell to you all. And please, be careful." She motioned for them to walk into the gates, and she waved goodbye.

******

Daniel sat in his favorite chair, and was reading on of his favorite books. It was the story he found in the library of a faraway time and place called the Silver Millennium. He sighed sadly, remembering that time long ago in which he used to be a man of importance, and he used to know the love of his life.

There was a quick knock at the door, and he went over to answer it. When he opened the door, he was taken back with such surprise that he was speechless for many moments. He knew of the prince's generals, although he had never met them. He had been with other generals before he had run off with Lilly.

"Daniel, I hope?" Jedite asked hopefully. His voice sounded stressed and tired, and he didn't look any better.

"Yes, I am Daniel. May I ask who you are?"

"I am General Kunzite."

"I am General Nephrite."

"I am General Jedite."

"And I am General Zoicite." After each one said their name, they bowed down low.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I had heard a lot about you, although no one had heard from me. I am guessing you have come for my help?"

"Yes, if you can. Sailor Pluto sent us here to get you, and we need to get the girls out of the negaverse." Jedite said.

"The girls?"

"The sailor scouts, and Lilly." Zoicite replied.

"Lilly?! Lilly is trapped in the negaverse?!"

"Um, not really. She's working for Beryl." Kunzite said, making Daniel's already shocked face look even more white.

"How can she work for Beryl? She knows better than to do that." Daniel slowly lowered himself down onto his chair, his thoughts only on how Lilly could have decided to work for Beryl.

"She was brainwashed by Beryl. She didn't do it of her own free will, so don't worry. I'm sure she probably still loves you." Darien said, making his presence known for the first time.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked, looking up with watery eyes.

"I am Darien, Prince Endymion's former self." He bowed low as well.

"It is nice to meet you, Darien."

"Likewise."

"Do you guys have any plans in mind?" Daniel asked.

"Well, Pluto said that if we channel our energy into the orb on your staff, and then blast it towards Beryl, it might destroy her." Jedite said.

"Well, there's our first problem. The orb broke off my staff, and I'm not sure how to fix it." Daniel said sadly. He rubbed his temples, trying to calm his overloaded nerves, but it was no use. His mind would not leave the subject of Lilly and the broken staff.

"May I see your staff, please?" Zoicite asked. Daniel pointed to the corner of the room, and Zoicite saw the broken staff standing up against the wall. He walked over there, then examined the pieces in his hand.

"did you find anything, Zoicite?" Daniel asked hopelessly, thinking that it would not be possible to fix his staff without altering its powers.

"Actually, yes. Nephrite and Jedite, I can use your help." Nephrite and Jedite walked over to Zoicite, and studied the staff. Nephrite called upon the stars, and Jedite used his crystals to touch up the staff.

After about an hour, the staff was completed. Instead of just being an orb at the top, there was a crescent moon along the side that was studded with five small diamonds. A small crown sat right on top of the orb, and a larger crown was near the base of the staff.

"Daniel, your staff is done." Zoicite said, handing the new staff to him.

"Thank you, Zoicite. Do you know if it still works?" Daniel seemed hopeless, and he looked like he had no more care for the world at all.

"The powers are the same, yes. The strength, however, when we channel our energy into is much greater than before. So we have a much better chance of killing her right away than having to fight her."

Daniel's face brightened, and he actually smiled. "That's good, Zoicite. Thank you very much."

"No problem, Daniel. Now I believe we should get some rest, and then tomorrow we should stay here and plan every possibility to retrieve the girls, and then destroy Beryl." Zoicite said, yawning.

"That sounds good. How about you all stay here instead of going back to your place. Besides, Beryl might know you are gone, and that's the first place she would look." Daniel said, motioning toward his extra room and the extra furniture in the living room. "You guys can either sleep in the spare or in here."

"Thank you very much, Daniel. Good night, everyone." Kunzite said, lying down on the couch.

"Good night, Kunzite. Goodnight Nephrite, Zoicite, Darien, Daniel. Sleep well." Jedite then fell down on the chair and slept immediately.

"Good night everyone. Get enough rest. Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

******

Lita was screaming in her head, trying to make her body respond to the movements she wanted. But it seemed as if her body ran on someone else's thoughts because no matter what she tried, her body would not listen to her.

She could see Nephrite, and she could see his every movement, but something troubled her. He did not seem like himself. He seemed to be darker, more reserved than before. Also his uniform, instead of being the usual coal black, it was the color of dark gray. It also reminded her of the generals she fought with the first Queen Beryl. And it scared her.

She felt Nephrite kiss her, but it didn't feel rihtn fact, she noticed that nothing felt right when he touched her. He felt cold, and uncaring. It was as if he wasn't really her Nephrite, but just someone who looked like him.

Her surroundings were also dark, and cold. She felt like she was in a different universe, or in someplace that she didn't belong. The mind that controlled her body was now telling her to kiss Nephrite, and her body responded. When she felt his lips come in contact with hers, she knew instantly that this was not her Nephrite, and that she was being controlled by someone very evil; Beryl.

Lita screamed again in her mind, but her lips were still locked with this Nephrite. Lita wanted to break down and cry because she felt as if she was cheating on her Nephrite. But she couldn't even do that because her body wouldn't respond to her wishes.

An evi laugh filled her ears, but she couldn't find the source. Then, she felt the presence of the evil being she feared, Beryl. "I hope you are liking this, Jupiter. I do not believe you have met Nephlite, my clone of Nephrite. He is my new general, and he is a very good one at that. Lilly, my lead general, is the person controlling your body, but I do believe I will return your body to you. You seem smart enough to know that you will never escape me."

"Why are you doing this to us, Beryl?" Lita whispered in her mind, hoping that Beryl could hear her.

"Because I need a body strong and smart enough so that I can rule both my negaverse and earth. And if I combine all of your bodies together, I will have the perfect body to use."

"You can't do this to us, Beryl. It's not right! You cannot combine people together!"

"I can, and I am."

"What did you do the the real generals?"

"They escaped. But it is no matter. They have no way of getting into the negaverse without killing themselves first. And if they did get in, I am not alive to be destroyed."

"You are nothing more than a heartless snake!"

"I will take that as a compliment. Have fun with your new Nephlite." After she said that, she disappeared. Lita collapsed on the floor, and Nephlite bent down to get her.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, moving away from him. Nephlite just smiled.

"You do not scare me, scout. You have no power here. You are in the negaverse, and your puny attacks can not destroy us." He chuckled an evil laugh, and he disappeared, too. Lita just cried bitter tears of frustration and sadness. She felt alone, and cold. She felt like her whole world was shrinking into nothing but oblivion, and she couldn't handle it.

"L-L-Lita? I-Is that y-you?" A weak, quiet voice asked. Lita looked around, and found Mina lying face down on the ground, her body covered in bruises.

"Mina! Is that you? What happened?" Mina tried to sit up, but only succeeded in leaning on her arms.

"He hit me. He beat me hard, and I don't even know the reason!" Mina fell against Lita, her eyes a sea of tears.

"Who hit you?"

"Malachite, Kunzite's clone."

"These generals are all evil, and they are working for Beryl. We need to get out of here."

"How? I tried to transform already, but my wand is taken, and it is impossible to transform without it. It is hopeless." Mina sounded defeated, and Lita could tell that it would be hard to convince her to believe that there is hope.

"Do not give up, Mina. There has to be hope somewhere."

"I hope so, Lita. I really hope so."

******

Nephrite sat, brainstorming for ideas to get back the girls. Daniel had told them the way into the negaverse, and the effects the warphole did to them. He also explained what would happen when they finally made it through the warphole.

"Zoicite, have you thought of anything?" he asked. Zoicite shook his head.

"No, I haven't. I can think of nothing that would help us in this situation." Zoicite looked terrible. Nephrite could tell that he hadn't slept in days, probably because he has been worried about Mercury.

"Don't worry about it, Zoicite. We'll come up with something, I'm sure. There has got to be a way into the negaverse without taking most of your energy." Nephrite said, rubbing Zoicite's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"There is no other way, Nephrite. You will get your energy taken no matter what happens. The warphole is a strange thing." Daniel said, walking into the room. "It even drains the energy from the people and monsters that emerge from it. The only way I can think that we can get through it is if we find some way of harnessing energy and keeping it with us. But I couldn't tell you if it will take our energy or the energy we had stored."

"Do you know of any ways we might be able to harness this energy?" Zoicite asked.

"I have not a clue. Maybe we could ask some of the other generals."

"What other generals? There is only us four, you, and the prince. Isn't there?" Nephrite asked, looking very confused.

"Nobody told you, did they? There are three more generals, one to protect each of the outers excluding Saturn. I'm guessing you have never met them, have you?"

"No, we have never even heard of them till now."

"There is Marcus, which is Uranus's general. There is Brandon, who is Neptune's general. And there is Gary, Pluto's general. I haven't seen them in a while, though."

"I have never heard or seen anything of these generals before. How close were they to the moon kingdom?" Nephrite asked.

"Not close, I don't think. I'm not really sure. They were just elected to be generals right before I left."

"But you do know them? And they are here?"

"No, they are not in Tokyo. They are at a location that I can not tell you."

"Why can't you tell us? You said that we might need to use their help." Zoicite said, his voice full of confusion.

"I will tell you, but not right now. First I need to tell you the whole story about the outer generals. But I don't want to say it more than once, so you had better get the others in here." Zoicite went to the other rooms, and went in search of the others.

When he returned with Darien, Kunzite, and Jedite, they situated themselves around Daniel, and got ready to listen to the story he was about to tell.

"This story is set during the Silver Millennium. Sailor Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto were each a princess of their respective planets. But they were also warriors that would help defend the moon kingdom when their help became necessary.

"Well, all of them needed their own protectors, since they were princesses. Each one had a general to protect them from any harm. Those would be the generals Marcus, Brandon, and Gary. Marcus, which is Uranus's general, could use the power of the constellation Draco. That power was strong, and it could do some pretty harsh damage to anyone who opposed him.

"Brandon, Neptune's general, could use the powers of the constellation Aquarius. His attacks were mainly aquatic, since that is what the constellation is. His attacks were strong, but not as strong as he would have wanted them to be. But he made up for the lack of strength in his attacks by being a skilled warrior in the arts of telekenisis. He could send his soul into a creature, and take over that creature's mind.

"Gary was Pluto's general. He was, above all, one of the best warriors that ever lived in the universe. He could use the powers of the constellation Orion, which were some of the most powerful powers I have ever seen before. He could transform into a warrior of superior strength, or be the most kindhearted general in all time.

"Well, like you did, they fell in love with their princess. But something went wrong when all of the outers decided to pay a visit to the moon kingdom. Gary had thought that Princess Serenity was the most beautiful girl to walk the planet, and forgot all about Pluto. She was left to walk with the queen many days, and she was very upset at Gary. She went back to her post at the Gates of Time, and she left Gary on the moon.

Princess Serenity had also fallen in love with Gary, and she thought that he was her soul-mate. But this was not true. They loved each other, yes. But not enough to be soul-mates, not like Pluto and Gary had loved each other."

"But what about me? When did I come in?" Darien asked.

"She didn't know about you yet. But, anyway, Pluto had left, and she was very upset. She was also very sad, and did things she still regrets. One of those things was that she let Beryl through the Gates. At that time, she didn't know of Beryl's evil threats toward the Silver Millennium.

"Gary, after Pluto had let her through, went to go warn Pluto of Beryl's evil schemes. But Pluto wouldn't listen because Beryl had listened to Pluto's sufferings, and Beryl acted like she sympathized with her. Gary tried to set her mind straight, but Pluto snubbed him off, telling him that he should go tell all of this to his dear Princess Serenity.

"Gary was hurt, but he knew why. He had left poor Pluto alone the whole time he was on the moon and had his short time infatuation with the princess. But he wouldn't let Pluto's bad attitude towards him to stop him from telling her the truth about Beryl. So he went back to the Gates to tell her.

"On his way back to the Gates, he was attacked by some of Beryl's monsters. He was injured pretty bad, but he wouldn't let that stop him from telling Pluto. But by the time he reached her, she was dead, killed by Beryl." After Daniel said this, he looked to all of the faces that were surrounding him. All were sober, and all were determined not to let Beryl win this round.

"But where are these generals? You never said their location." Darien said, staring at a spot on the carpet.

"They are at the Gates of Time, watching over Pluto. She probably knows they are there, but she makes no noise about it. She was reborn, but we don't know who did it. Queen Serenity did not know about Pluto's death, so she couldn't of been reborn that way. Plus, she has been guarding the Gates of Time for a lot longer than we have been alive."

"Do you think Pluto would mind if we went to her Gates so that we can talk to these generals?" Kunzite asked.

"Well, we don't need to go there, I can contact them. But the hard part is making them leave the Gates. Marcus and Brandon both haven't been able to find their princesses, and they have been hoping that Pluto would reveal their location sometime. But they haven't been very successful. And Gary refuses to leave until Pluto decides to talk to him."

"This could complicate things a lot. We need their help, and soon. I don't know about the rest of you, but I get the feeling that something terrible is happening to the girls." Jedite said.

"Yea, I feel it, too. Come on, Daniel. Contact those generals, we are really going to need their help." Nephrite said.

******

Lita fell to the ground, her body limp and bruised. Nephlite had been beating her because she wouldn't join the Negaverse. The beating had been going on for at least a day, with a few rests in between.

Lita hoped that the true generals would show up soon, because she knew that she couldn't last much longer with Nephlite beating her. She was already bruised and bloody, but Nephlite wouldn't stop hitting her.

"Please!" Her voice was nothing above a whisper, but Nephlite didn't listen. He just smiled an evil smile, then kicked her.

"That's enough for today. I suggest you sleep, tomorrow is gonig to be a very exciting day." He sneered. Tears flooded down Lita's cheeks, and she sat up, pain radiating up and down her back and sides.

"Why are they doing this? Why?" Lita cried. She hugged herself, a sudden chill overtaking her body. She sobbed, and rocked back and forth.

"Because they feel that it is necessary to get you to join their side." A strange voice said. Lita looked up, and saw a strange Sailor standing there, a Sailor she had never seen before.

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" Lita asked, eyeing this new Sailor carefully. The Sailor just smiled.

"I am Sailor Neptune. I am what you would call an outer scout. I am here to help you out. No offense to the generals or anything, but they are not doing to well in finding a way of saving you. Sailor Uranus and I have come here to get all of you out, with the help of Sailor Pluto." Sailor Neptune smiled, which made her turquoise eyes sparkle. She held out her hand. "Come on, Sailor Jupiter. We will take you someplace safe." Lita took the offered hand, and stood up slowly.

"Thank you, Sailor Neptune." Lita smiled gratefully.

"You're welcome, Sailor Jupiter. Come on." Sailor Neptune handed Lita her transfromation pen. "You might need this." Lita smiled again.

"Yes, I believe I would." That got a chuckle out of Neptune, and she led Lita through a warphole.

When Lita was able to clear her eyes, and actually see some things, she noticed that she was standing at the Gates of Time. She also noticed that most of her bruises and cuts have disappeared.

"Hello, Lita. I am Sailor Pluto." Lita turned around to see Sailor Pluto standing right behind her.

"Hello, Sailor Pluto. How long have I been here?"

"Approximately three weeks. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering. How have the generals been doing?"

"They haven't been making much progress. Probably because they have no idea on how to get into the Negaverse without draining their energy."

"But, then how did Neptune and Uranus get in the Negaverse? Did they drain their energy?"

"I sent them through a time hole. Their energy wasn't taken because that was not an original warphole."

"Oh. So, what am I going to do here?" Lita knew that her question seemed rude, but Pluto understood.

"We, Uranus, Neptune, and I, have decided that you will stay here with us until all of you are better, and until Beryl is completely destroyed." Lita's draw dropped.

"But the generals might need our help!"

"I highly doubt that. They are going to get some help from some of the best warriors in the universe."

"Who? I'm sure they are worried about us, and I think that we should return to them as soon as possible." Lita was shocked that Pluto would think that the Generals would not be worried about them.

"They are worried about you, yes. But I know that you might get in more danger if you do go back to them. I will not allow you to get hurt again. It is my job to see to it that all of you are safe." Pluto said, putting a hand on Lita's shoulder.

"But I want to go to them. You don't understand. You don't love anyone as much as I love Nephrite, or how Mina loves Kunzite, or Raye with Jedite or even Amy and Zoicite. You don't know how much we need them right now." Lita's lower lip trembled, and tears threatened to fall. But she stayed where she was and told herself not to cry. This speech Lita gave made Pluto sad.

Pluto's head fell, and she sighed sadly. When she looked up, she, too, had tears floating around in her eyes. Her cheeks were pale, and her lips were trembling with held back tears.

"You have no idea, Lita. You have no idea." She shook her head, and walked away, disappearing into the fog.

Lita was stumped at Pluto's answer. She was confused, and she wanted to know why Pluto acted the way she had. But the only conclusion she could come up with was that Pluto did have a love, but either he refused or she refused to meet with each other.

She sighed, and looked at the Gates. She could see Nephrite's beautiful eyes glistening in the wonderful artwork that covered the doors. She suddenly felt a presence behind her, and she turned around to look. She gasped when she saw who it was.

******

Nephrite smiled as he looked at Lita's shocked face. She got up, and ran over to him. He also ran to her, his arms outstretched and open for her.

"Nephrite! Is that really you?!" Lita didn't even wait for an answer, but ran straight into his arms and embraced him tightly. He bent his head down and kissed her deeply.

"Of course it is me, Lita. The real me. Gary told me that the outers had gotten you out of the negaverse, and brought you here. I got here as soon as I could." He hugged her again tightly, smelling her hair and kissing her ear. His arms were like iron around her body, and he refused to let her go, afraid that she might disappear again. She sighed happily, then looked up at him.

"Who is Gary, Nephrite?" She leaned her head against his chest, waiting for an answer.

"Gary is Pluto's soul-mate. He is probably here, watching us right now. I will tell you the story when we get back home." He smiled, and rubbed her back lightly. "I'm so glad that I can hold you again, to know that you are real." He sighed happily, and picked her up in his arms.

Lita cuddled against his body, and curled her head on his shoulder and against his neck. She closed her eyes, and let sleep wash over her as he walked her back to Tokyo, back to home. But her eyes opened immediately when she remembered about the other scouts.

"Wait, Nephrite. What about the others? What will happen to them?"

"Did you think that only I came through here? No way would the others let only me through the time hole. We all came in, and everyone went to their girl. Trust me, they will come home, too. No go back to sleep, Lita. We're almost home." He moved his shoulder, making her fall lightly against his shoulder again. She smiled, and fell back asleep.

******

When Lita woke up, she saw Nephrite asleep next to her. He was still in his uniform, and he looked like he had just decided to fall next to her and go to sleep. She moved closer to him, and cuddled against him.

"I'm so happy to be home, Nephrite. You have no idea how happy I am." She whispered, running her fingers through his long, dark hair. She kissed his cheek lightly, then leaned her head against his chest.

Lita breathed, and tried to fall asleep, but suddenly she was wide awake. She turned over onto her stomach, and layed her head on her pillow, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She turned her head so that she could see his face, and she could see the worry she had caused him in the past few weeks. There were lines and darkened spots under his eyes which said that he hadn't slept in a long time.

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her. She smiled, and he brushed her hair with his hand.

"Is it morning, Lita?" Lita shook her head when she saw that it was only 2:00 in the morning. "Are you all right, then? Are you not feeling good?" Nephrite's eyes were worried, and he looked like he would do anything for her if she asked.

"I'm fine, Nephrite. I just couldn't sleep any more, that's all. Don't worry." She placed the back of her hand against his warm cheek. He turned his head so that he kissed her fingers.

"I love you so much, Lita. I was so worried about you when you were taken. I thought that if she did anything to hurt you, I would kill her with my bare hands." Lita cuddled closer to him, and wrapped her arms around him tight.

"I love you, too, Nephrite. Please, don't ever leave me. Promise me you'll never leave me." She kissed him softly on the mouth. He smiled.

"I promise, Lita. I promise I will always stay with you." He kissed her back, leaning against her slightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. For them, time seemed to stop and at last, they were together.

******

Daniel layed his head on the pillow, but his eyes would not shut. He knew that Lilly wasn't rescued along with the others, but he had decided to go anyway to help rescue the others. But seeing the rejoicing groups only made him feel even more lonely.

He sighed, and got up, knowing that he couldn't go back to sleep no matter how much he tried. He went over to his staff, and polished the gleaming rod with an old rag. The changes Zoicite had made to it had only made the staff more frightening, but also more beautiful. He couldn't wait till he could test it out on Beryl, and finally get his girl back.

"What are you doing up so late, Daniel? We should be getting some sleep, we have a big day ahead of us, and we need all of the energy we can get." Zoicite said, seeing Daniel sitting there.

"What are we doing tomorrow that is so special? No one told me."

"We are going to the Negaverse, to get Lilly back, of course. We can't let you live without your girl. You helped us get ours back, and it is only right that we help you." Daniel looked at Zoicite, and smiled.

"Thank you, Zoicite. I do believe it is time for me to get some sleep. Good night." He went back into his room, his head full of the happy memories of his love. He flopped back down on his bed, and suddenly felt extremely tired. He yawned, and fell instantly asleep.

******

Beryl sat in her throne room, waiting for Lilly. She silently hoped that Lilly had not found out Beryl's well-hidden plot to get through the Sailor Scouts and rule the universe. If Lilly had found out by some mysterious reason, Beryl would destroy her.

When Lilly entered the room, Beryl straightened her back, and made herself look more intimidating.

"Lilly. Come closer to me. Tell me of your progress against the sailor scouts." Beryl motioned with her hand, and smiled an evil smile. Lilly went forth, not aware of Beryl's evil plan that could cost her her life.

"I do believe that we are doing rather well, your majesty. We still have the cloned generals, plus all of the scouts DNA. We could easily clone them, as well, to create our own sailor scouts. The only problem would be is that they have no transformation powers, which could be easily remedied with a small bit of power and a specialized crystal." With each word, Beryl had slipped furthur and furthur into Lilly's mind, and Lilly was unaware of it all. That is, until she felt that she was no longer in power of herself.

"Ahhhh! How good it feels to be back into a body, even if it is only a human body." She felt herself say. She wanted to move, to make herself do something by her will, but nothing happened. "What, Lilly? Did you actually think that I would be interested in talking about the scouts? I would rather find out on my own how well we are doing." Lilly then realized that she could communicate by using thoughts that she could send through her brain waves.

This is my body! You have no right to invade it in this matter! I demand you release me of your soul! Even before she said this, she knew it was hopeless. Beryl would not leave of her own free will. And she could do nothing to force Beryl out, either.

"My darling Lilly! You have been blessed with me for your soul. Just deal with it."

Deal with it?! How can I deal with it?! You are in my body! Let me go at once! She wanted to cry, but it was no use, Beryl had complete control over her body, and she was powerless to stop it.

"Oh, Lilly. You must stop trying to gain control of your body. It is useless to try and force me out. I have learned to keep my soul in a different body for a long period of time."

Do I care? I just want you out! You don't belong in my body! Lilly wanted to turn back time, and make sure she never came to work for Queen Beryl. She wanted to return to her peaceful life on Earth, and ponder those visions that she had had before she came to the negaverse. But she knew that it would never happen, and she ceased to struggle.

"Now that's more like it. I don't like to force my soul upon anybody, but you gave me no choice. No behave, and I might think of returning your soul back in control when I get my hands on that pesty Sailor Moon, and take over her body." Queen Beryl started transporting herself to Earth. "You have quite an amazing body, my dear." Were Beryl's last words as she transported herself to Earth. Lilly only watched as Beryl took over her life even more, and destroyed everything Lilly had ever dreamed about.


End file.
